All Kinds of Love
by blablabhu
Summary: Orihime is your average japanese working woman approaching quarter life crisis with an unexciting career and a non existent love life. But all this is about to change. Three men in her life are about to teach Orihime the most important lesson in both love and life. AU. Rated M for mature situations and LEMON. UlquiHime, ByaHime, IchiHime. Renruki and IshiNemu. Art:TK. Edited by me.
1. All Kinds of Love

**Authors Note: Hi Everyone. This is my first time writing ****fan fiction. So thank you for taking the time to read it. I am very busy with my graduate studies, but I will try to update this story every two- three weeks at least. I usually don't upload a chapter until the next one is written out anyways. This story has multiple pairings, namely UlquiHime, ByakuHime, IchiHime and though not the focus, there is some RenRuki and IshiNemu (implied). The main character here is Orihime and the focus of this story is Orihime's love life. I hope you enjoy it! Some characters might appear a bit OOC (especially Ulquiorra), but thats because he is a human in this story. It is AU.**

**By rating it M, I mean that it will have mature themes, which will not be too dark, however these are adult situations based on decisions these characters make. They are also not limited to romance, but go beyond in terms of how the culture they live in affects these characters and also workplace politics. There will also be lemons and approximately one very controversial and slightly dark scene that touches on a sensitive issue that I won't spoil as of now. I'll try to keep it light and fast paced enough in terms of reading. **

**EDIT [Oct 30, 2014] {IMPORTANT}: Hi guys, I had a request. Initially I hesitated about asking people to leave reviews as I didnt just want to ask for them and thats not why I am writing this story. I started writing this story as I was looking for something like this, but didnt find it here on fan fiction. Then the story came to me and I thought, why don't i write this as there must be people like me, who want to see these characters in complex adult situations and go through love triangles or quadrangles.**

**However through this process I have realised that reviews actually matter a lot for a writer in the writing process. I cherish each of your reviews (its actually more engaging than even following or favouriting the story), and can sometimes keep me going. I can see there are many views (over 1500 as of now), but I would like to hear from my readers too. Just a: nice, not nice. or even hello would be nice. Reviews make a very big difference for writers, as there is a lot of effort that goes into developing and writing a plot, doing relevant research and putting material that is of decent quality. **

**After all that work, if you don't see any response, that can really dishearten the writer. Anyways hope my readers enjoy the story and please please do RandR.**

**Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me but Tite Kubo. The plot, AU and story are mine. **

**Chapter 1**

"Sora chan! Lets do your homework now." The auburn haired woman called out to her son. Grey eyes fell on a little boy, who had a scorn etched on his face.

"Sora chan… what happened?"

" I want to play" the little boy said in a soft voice, his eyes downcast.

"You can play after we finish work Sora chan." Orihime smiled at her son. He was a quiet boy for most part, not causing trouble. But he was a kid in the end.

"But… Daddy said I cannot…"

"Sora chan… You know that you can after you finish your homework. Now come here, lets see what Ukitake sensei has asked you to do, ok?"

Quietly the 4 year old walked to his mothers arms, sat down and opened a small notebook.

"We have to write about family."

"Oh, great! What will Sora chan write?" Orihime knew Sora was able to scribble basic sentences. If they happened to be 3-4 words long.

"Fam..i..ly is mommy and daddy and kitty."

Orihime beamed at her little bundle of joy. Yes, family was mommy and daddy and Sora and kitty. Yet few years ago, her family had only consisted of herself. How had she gotten so lucky?...

_5 years ago _

Orihime was going to be late. She knew it! She had been working in one of the largest urban planning company in the world called Aizen Corporation, which was co-owned by Sousuke Aizen and Kisuke Urahara. Urahara didn't think any part of his name had the gravitas to go up into the company name and Aizen had wholeheartedly agreed.

Orihime worked as an analyst under Urahara Kisuke, typically developing client projects, for various municipalities in and outside Japan. While she didn't know much about urban planning, she had liked the fact that her work could affect how people experienced their surroundings; and after graduating from Tokyo U, accepted Aizen's job offer.

That was two years ago. Orihime lead a simple life. Born in Karakura, she never saw her parents. Apparently they weren't very nice people. Her older brother Sora was all the family she knew, and a distant aunt in Tokyo who sent her minimal financial sustenance when Sora passed away on the eve of her 12th birthday. But what she lacked in family, Orihime made up in friends. Or so she liked to think.

She had been very close to Tatsuki, that is until academic overachievement had brought her to Tokyo U while karate had taken Tatsuki to Kyoto. While they tried visiting each other in vacations, Tatsuki's karate, Orihimes extra classes and internships and the fact that tatsuki still called Karakura home while Orihime had left the town for good, meant that they barely met once a year.

The only friend from high school she had was Rukia Kuchiki, who had originally transferred from Tokyo and went back to Tokyo with Orihime after finishing high school.

Orihime smiled slightly at the thought of Rukia. Rukia was one of her dearest friends. She was always decisive and sometimes abrasive. Yet she always had Orihime's back when Orihime needed her. However her relationship with Renji was keeping her rather busy.

Orihime sighed. Living in a metropolis like Tokyo was daunting enough, it could be especially daunting for a single woman approaching quarter life crisis.

_I have no luck in love._ Orihime sighed forlornly.

"Now now Orihime chan. Even if you are all of 10 minutes late, its nothing to be upset about."

"AAAAARRGGHH" Orihime screamed and jumped aside.

"Oh, urahara san, its just you!" she sighed and took in her surroundings. Per usual, she had day dreamed all the way from her home, through her subway ride, into her office.

"Now, now Orihime chan, I much prefer the shocked reaction to this, you know." Urahara looked at her meaningfully. For all his kindness, the man creeped Orihime out every once in a while. But not as much as his partner Sousuke Aizen, who seemed more like evil incarnate.

_Why am I working for these clowns again? Oh yeah because I am almost 25, still a virgin, no family, all of one friend, and I have no clue what I want in life or in love. Yet I still need to pay my bills. Dreams and love can wait. _

"Err Orihime chan… I think a fly just entered your mouth.."

"Whaa… Ahh… Sorry Urahara san. I ll get back to work now. Thank you for being understanding about me being late."

Bowing her head, Orihime quickly made her way towards her cubicle, opened her computer and went through her work e mails. As she read through the most recent one, she let out another long sigh. It seemed like one of her subordinates, Loly, had not finished the work she had been asked to do, had taken the day off and managed to blame her for her inability to communicate the work to her properly.

This wasn't an unusual happening in Orihime's life. She was not conflict loving, which made people often see her as a pushover. Not surprisingly, she found herself in the middle of various office politics, which usually ended with her doing a huge chunk of work and not getting any credit for it. Turns out, she would have to start working on something her subordinate was supposed to work on.

She decided she would have a word with Loly when she came into office, rolled her sleeves, and got down to working.

Only to be interrupted by her phone ringing. She looked down. It was her teenage crush and nemesis.

"Ah, hello, Kurosaki kun. I am at work now. Is everything ok?"

"Aaah, Inoue… Yeah, everything is fine. I, um, wanted to ask about the dinner you are planning at your apartment tonight. How many people are coming?"

"Ummm, I think its Rukia chan, Renji kun, you and Ishida kun. Nemu chan is away so she wont be joining us. But that's it. Why?"

"Well… I was wondering if I could bring someone over. I have a plus one. Is it too late to tell you now?"

It was too late. It would always be too late and too inconvenient and annoying for Orihime to put up with one of Ichigo's "dates" as he liked to call them. Orihime swallowed.

"Um, no its fine Kurosaki kun." _It is not fine you emotionless dolt. Do you even know me? Have you completely missed out on the fact that I have held a candle for you all of my adult life?! _"Does she have any dietary restrictions?" _So that I can make sure I make a meal that will leave a terrifyingly horrible taste in her mouth! _

"Umm, I don't know her so well Inoue.." _Of course you don't. When have you needed to know the names of the girls you do?_

"Whatever you cook is fine. Thanks so much for being flexible! I ll see you tonight!" And just like that he hung up.

Orihime kept her phone down, staring at the computer screen.

She hated her life. She hated the bullies she had to call co-workers. She hated her job. She even hated her pitiful heart, which would not move on from a man who was either ridiculously dense, or so uninterested in her that he made it a point to flaunt all of his "dates" in her face.

She had really thought things would change once she moved to Tokyo. Ichigo had overshadowed most of her high school years. That and being smothered by Tatsuki. She also hated being dependent on her aunt. So she worked hard, kept her grades the best she could and got into Tokyo U with a full scholarship; no mean feat really.

She thought that with financial independence and a new setting, she could start her life fresh, meet new people, maybe even fall in love and get married. She was glad that the only friend who would be following her to Tokyo would be Rukia. That was, until Ichigo announced that he had been accepted in Keio for medicine and would be moving to Tokyo too. He seemed genuinely excited, and then shocked when Rukia hit him on the head and declared that she wished he wouldn't come to the same city as her.

But Orihime knew. Rukia was worried for her. And rightly so too, because all those plans of a new life and new love came crashing down as Orihime found herself hanging out with Ichigo every other time she did have free time. And watching him date a bevy of sexy, beautiful and confident women while she remained strangely closed to the male attention she had always attracted.

Orihime sighed again. She needed to finish this last document if she wanted to make up for Loly's tardiness. She couldn't get distracted now. With a heavy heart, she looked at her computer screen and started typing.

"Orihime!"

"Rukia chan!" Orihime hugged her petite friend whose red headed boyfriend was holding a large bottle of wine.

"Great, we got wine. Ishida is bringing some cake from that shop in Shinjuku you like so much too! Dinner for 4?" Rukia chimed as she took off her coat and placed the bottle in the refrigerator.

Orihime blanched. Rukia didn't know that Ichigo was bringing a date. Oh this was going to get ugly.

"Umm, Kurosaki kun is bringing a date… so its five." She said hesitantly.

Instantly Rukia's expression soured.

"Another one?! What is wrong with that dunce?"

"You know Orihime chan, you should just spike that idiots drink and seduce him… With his appetite.." But Renji never finished as Rukia hit him on the head. The couple started bickering about how Orihime seducing Ichigo was not a good idea at all.

"Errr… anooo… Rukia chan, Renji kun, its not like I could ever seduce anyone, so… ummm,.. ehehehe.." Orihime tried to dissipate the tension between the couple.

By the time Ishida arrived, Orihime Rukia and Renji were jumping around, Renji making vulgar jestures, Rukia sending flying kicks his way and Orihime gesticulating comically while scratching her head occasionally.

"Errr… Inoue san… Rukia san, Renji… Hello." Ishida sweat dropped.

"Ahhh Ishida kun, you got the cake!" Orihime used the diversion to escape from the battling couple and freed Ishida of the cake. Just then Ichigo arrived… with a dark haired purple eyed girl who looked quite unlike the long leggy model type girls he was usually found dating.

"Hey guys! So everyones here huh! I got some hard liquor!" he voiced, placing down a bottle of vodka and orange juice as his companion shrunk behind him. All noise stopped.

Rukia glared at Ichigo, while Renji watched his girlfriend and friend nervously; Ishida shifted his glasses and Orihime stood still. Then realizing the ackward silence that had creeped up the group she quickly chimed

"Ah Kurosaki kun, welcome! Come in! Oh is that your companion? Hello, I am Inoue Orihime. Err, I am Kurosaki kuns friends. We are all friends actually… "

" Calm down Inoue. Guys this is Senna. Senna the short midget there is Rukia, the red pineapple next to her is Renji, and the triangular man is Ishida."

"Who the hell did you call a midget?!"

"Pineapple?! I'll have you know that these glorious locks are.."

" Is calling me a triangle your pathetic attempt at humour Kurosaki.."

Orihime smiled. Soon her friends had started bickering, and Senna had joined in. The ice had been broken. Except in her heart of course. Orihime realized that no matter how many times Ichigo brought girls over, she always felt the same chill in her heart.

The rest of the night went by pretty uneventfully… from their typical standards that is. They found that Senna had just started at Keio, and Ichigo had met her while he was overseeing one of the QnA sessions for undergrads who wanted to go to med school. This was their third date. Unlike other girls in the past, Ichigo seemed to like Senna (and not just physically). As it got late, Ishida left to pick up Nemu (they had been dating for a while now). Soon Ichigo followed with Senna and finally only Rukia and Renji remained.

"Do you want me to stay over today?" Rukia asked Orihime knowingly. Orihime looked at her friend with sheer gratitude. Rukia wasn't very emotive or overly protective like Tatsuki, but she had always been there when Orihime was really down.

However she knew Rukia had work next day. And that between designing soft toys for her brothers company, The Seaweed Admiral, and completing her part time course in graphic design, Rukia barely had time for Renji. She started shaking her head but Rukia stopped her.

"I heard about the omiai. I want to know.." she said with finality. Taking his cue, Renji cleaned up some things and got ready to leave.

Once alone, Rukia and Orihime sat together with two buckets of ice cream that Orihime had laid in front of them.

"Ice cream huh? Nii sama can be a real tool sometime." Rukia sighed.

"No rukia chan! Kuchiki san was very polite. And um, kind." Orihime interrupted hastily.

Orihime had only met Kuchiki Byakuya twice now as a part of an omiai arranged by her aunt. Apparently the windowed noble's family was looking to find him another wife so he could get down to creating heirs. Orihime was from a normal family for most part, but her fathers side had some noble blood. Despite Byakuya's good looks and entrepreneurial success (Seaweed Admiral was the most popular plushie company in Japan), pickings were few and standards were high. The family wanted someone at least somewhat close to nobility, 100% Japanese, young and beautiful. Orihime fit the bill oerfectly and her aunt knew someone who had arranged the meeting. Orihime would have refused, but she owed her aunt too much, and the woman had rarely asked anything of her. So she had gone.

Only to find that the man she was on a blind arranged date on with, was her best friends older brother. It had been awkward to say the least. Byakuya of course, didn't recognize her. He didn't "meddle" with his sisters life, and the only reason he knew Ichigo was because the orange haired male annoyed him to no end.

Maybe it was because he didn't know of Orihime's relationship with Rukia, or because he was generally honest and to the point, but Byakuya had made the purpose of the meeting very clear, lest Orihime misunderstand.

His family wanted him to remarry, and this time not against their wishes as he had last time. He was looking for a marriage partner, not love. He was planning to move back to the family's ancestral home in Hokkaido and his wife would be expected to follow with him, live under the watch of the large noble family and make heirs. He was meeting Orihime, as he was other candidates, to see whether she would be suitable for such a life, as his family wanted to ensure that he could at least tolerate his wife.

Orihime had cringed at his harsh words, but she appreciated him being honest. She had only agreed to the omiai, thinking that as she had no luck in love anyways, she might as well give arranged marriage a try. As cold as Byakuya's words were, she at least appreciated that he was honest and she could tell how this would play out. She hadn't told Rukia, mostly because she was sure that Byakuya would reject her as he could surely get a much more elegant and classier woman to marry him and become the lady of the house.

However, after the second meeting, Rukia had found out and here they were, talking about it for the first time. She quickly filled Rukia in, taking care to mention that she appreciated Byakuya's honesty. Rukia on the other hand, turned red and looked positively embarrassed.

" I am so sorry Orihime! Nii sama is not a bad person. He is just a bit… direct at times. I just wanted you to know that while I would like nothing more than for you to be officially a part of my family, you don't need to accept his offer! Especially when he is making such a sour one.."

"Its ok Rukia chan! Umm, he hasn't made any offer. He said he wanted to keep meeting the eligible candidates for a few weeks at least! So I am sure things aren't even close to anywhere decisive yet! Frankly, I didn't think he would want to meet me again… I am sure he can do better…" Orihime trailed off.

"Are you crazy Orihime?! My brother should thank his stars a knock out like you is willing to consider his old ass." Clearly Rukia had been spending too much time with Renji. Orihime laughed, feeling much lighter than before.

The two friends chatted away into the night, not caring about the fact that they both had work the next day.

Kisuke Urahara stared at the report in front of him. As always, Orihime Inoue had finished everything, and all by herself. The work was impeccable and organized. However it lacked spark.

Urahara sighed. When he had first hired Orihime, he knew she would be great due to her warm nature and wild imagination. However somewhere in the two years of office politics, bullying and probably just life in general, she had lost that spark. She did her work, even her colleagues' work. Yet there was no imagination, no warmth in the ideas and reports she pitched.

He would have to change that. And he had just the right plan in mind. Without thinking further, he placed a call to the New York office of Aizen corp.

"Make it quick Urahara, I am busy" came a smooth voice from the other end.

"Hellooooo Sousuke kun! I have a request…"

On the other end, Aizen smirked. It had been quite a while since Kisuke Urahara had plotted something. This was going to be interesting.


	2. The approaching storm

**Authors Note: Thank you so much to all the people who read and reviewed. It really made my day and motivated me to post this much earlier than usual! If you did read my story, please do drop me a line. Always good to hear what readers think! A few things first. The italicised parts are Orihime's thoughts. I apologise about the fact that scene breaks in previous chapter didnt come through. I am new to fan fiction so I didnt know what I was doing. The next chapter will be shorter and as I don't post a chapter till the next one is ready (too many experiences of reading stories that were left unfinished I suppose), the next one might come in a few weeks. It might be a bit jargon (not that I know much about urban planning) but I hope you enjoy it! As always RnR**

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Tite Kubo. AU and plot are mine though! :D**

**Chapter 2**

Orihime sipped her cup of tea as she looked around her. It was a traditional izakaya, but the food was simple yet extremely tasteful. Of course Byakuya would pick a tasteful yet low-key place like this.

This was their third meeting. And like clockwork Byakuya had contacted her Friday night to check her availability on Saturday night again. It was more to confirm really as till now they had always met on a Saturday night.

Byakuya examined the woman in front of him. By all conventional means, she was an extremely attractive woman. But then as an extremely attractive man, Byakuya was usually not fazed by attractiveness of the opposite sex.

When he had first met her, Byakuya had decided that she was too much of an airhead to continue dating. However somehow her smile had kept playing in his head that whole week and he had taken that as a sign that maybe he had passed judgment on her too soon, and he should meet her but once more.

Now into their third meeting he was a bit amused at his own desire to keep meeting this girl.

For most part she seemed unexciting. And for a woman so young, pretty washed out. She was polite, and there was an inherent kindness in her features. Her smile radiated warmth (when she did smile genuinely) and that was her only distinguishing feature in his eyes.

"Was your week all right?" Byakuya inquired. The girl was quite silent, which was at once both good and bad. Good because the arranged dates were tiresome enough. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck with a chatterbox; yet bad because this meant he had to find topics of conversation. And him being him, he always got to the point.

He realized the girl didn't know much about him. So he decided to take the opportunity to amend that.

"Do you have any questions for me Inoue San?" He enquired again.

Orihime had a déjà vu from when she was interviewing in her last term at Tokyo U. This was her least favorite question of all. Mostly because employers only ever asked it expecting certain specific questions, and judged you if you were unable to guess those.

"Ummm, could you tell me about your wife?" Instantly Orihime regretted her question. Byakuya' face had hardened.

_See, this is why I don't like this damn question. Why open up to questions when you weren't willing to answer?! _

After what seemed like a while, Byakuya cleared his throat.

"Of course, as a potential marriage candidate you should know..." He said, more to himself than her.

"Her name was Hisana. We met while I was traveling in Senegal for some creative inspiration for my company. She was a doctor with MSF there. We were married about five years till she passed away."

Orihime noticed that Byakuya did not mention anything more than basic facts, facts she already knew having spoken to Rukia.

Of course he didn't want to talk about it. The man had never moved on. He was still in love with his deceased wife and planned to leave that special spot in his heart to her memories. Suddenly the full extent of Byakuya's initial words hit Orihime.

A loveless marriage. That's what he had to offer. That was the best he could offer. For he had already given his heart to a woman. A woman who loved her desire to save lives much more and had sacrificed her own life for the same. But while she had moved to the other world, he had held on to her memories. The marriage was a favor to his family, one that he had let down due to his previous decisions.

And his future wife would simply help him fulfill those duties. Suddenly Orihime understood why a man as handsome and accomplished as Byakuya had chosen to see her more than once. He didn't know it consciously but he must have picked up on it. She was the perfect candidate.

Like Byakuya, she too had given her heart to someone, only to be jilted by him. And now she was stuck. Stuck with no energy to love, or to work. She wasn't a manipulative gold digger who would jump at an offer such as one Byakuya offered. Yet she was jaded enough to not scoff at it and pursue romantic fantasies.

Or was she? She didn't know.

So she simply smiled and continued asking polite questions.

It may seem rather pathetic, but right now, this bleak possibility of an arranged marriage was all the romance in Orihime Inoue's life.

* * *

><p>She was so dead! Orihime had been day dreaming again, (something about wasabi eating monster red bean cake), missed her stop and was now late for work. Again!<p>

She was amazed Urahara hadn't fired her for how many times she was coming in late.

She got off her stopped and started jogging towards her office building, breaking into a sprint as she realized she as going to be so late it would be considered almost inappropriate!

BAM!

Orihime hit her head on something and fell on the ground. From above her she heard a restrained groan.

"A..Aaaii..I ..I am so sorry!" She got up, bowed and apologized profusely.

"Do not make a fuss woman. My head is already ringing as it is." Intoned a deep baritone. Orihime looked up to stare into a sea of emerald. They were examining her warily.

"Sorry! I do have a rather strong head..ehehe"

"You don't say.." He drawled, slightly annoyed.

Orihime took at the strange man standing in front of her. He had huge shocking green eyes, features that looked chiseled into a rock and paper pale skin. He wasn't very much taller than her and quite possibly lighter than her. Yet there was something magnetic about his person. If Orihime could describe him in a few words, she would probably call him weirdly hot.

He wasn't her type, far from it actually (since her type was overly macho tall orange haired men called Ichigo). Yet she found it hard to look away from his face, or how his body moved with restrained grace. He was like a walking work of art.

"If you are done admiring my clavicles would you mind answering my question?" He drawled

"Huh, clavi.. What?! I was NOT admiring your…"

"Either ways, could you tell me where Aizen Corp's office is? I haven't been back in Japan in a few years and this street has changed dramatically."

Orihime pouted at his dismissive tone. Strangely hot or not, the guy was a jerk. And his hotness did not make up for his sour attitude.

"Right. It's two blocks down from here actually. I am walking there. You can follow me." She said stiffly, and without waiting for his response, started walking ahead.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly. That was a bit unexpected. With a tiny smirk on his face he followed the orange haired woman. Now that he had a chance to, he took her appearance in.

'Pretty face, in shape, but not very fit. Probably doesn't go to the gym. More likely the type that eats a lot but by the looks of it, it just goes to her chest. The stuttering and squeaking together with her appearance only meant one thing. She was an airhead.'

Yet, her current stride told another story. It was defiant and purposeful. Unlike the time she had crashed into him all flustered.

Ulquiorra smirked to himself. "What an interesting woman."

A few minutes later they both stepped into the lobby. Orihime was about to make it for the elevator without saying goodbye when she heard her bosses high pitched nasally voice. A tone that could only spell doom as far as Urahara was concerned.

" Orihime chaaaan!"

"Urahara San! Sorry I..."

"I see you have already met Cifer san! Good good. That saves some time".

"Cifer.." Orihime looked at where Urahara was staring. Then looked back at him, and then at Ulquiorra again.

"Err.." She didn't understand

" Urahara Kisuke" the green-eyed demon nodded at Urahara stiffly, putting out a hand.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. I believe your move here was without incidence?" Nodded Urahara, taking the extended hand.

As they shook hands Orihime regained some of her composure.

"Ano..." She trailed, unsure what to say.

"Ah! Orihime chan! This is Cifer San, the New York head of research and development at Aizen corp. He is here for the Sakura park project. We are having some talent issues in the New York office so I thought he might as well work with the office here. Oh, and starting today he will be your new boss." Urahara finished with a wide smile.

"My new what?! But Urahara san I..."

" I see New York isn't the only office having talent issues. If we could go somewhere more private I can brief you both more about the project and what I need" Ulquiorra interrupted.

Urahara watched the exchange quietly. Then motioned towards the elevator.

"Sure Cifer San! To my office?"

The trio made their way to the upper levels of the building.

An hour later, Orihime walked out of her boss's office with a bad mood and an impending headache. The weirdly hot jerk she had head bumped this morning was apparently some prodigy mentored personally by Aizen who had graduated from Keio in two years and left Japan to join Aizen corp. So impressed was Aizen by his indifferent ass that he had mentored Ulquiorra personally, even funding his studies in urban planning at Columbia in NYC.

Ulquiorra had come back to Aizen Corp and risen to the position of RnD head very quickly. He was now in Japan for a project called project Sakura Park. The city of New York and city of Tokyo wanted to plan an urban installation that symbolized the peaceful and harmonious relations between the two countries. Aizen had pitched the idea of a Sakura plantation. The client (US Japan Foundation or USJF) wanted to hear more and Ulquiorra was in charge of creating a detailed project plan for this symbol of harmony between Japan and US.

Orihime would be working under him for the duration of this project. Urahara then mentioned that he couldn't spare anyone else, much to Ulquiorra's chagrin. But the green-eyed man had just shrugged, saying that actually he could have managed the whole thing on his own, but Aizen had insisted on him working with a team.

Orihime opened her e-mails, for some reason feeling the bad mood worsening. Orihime wasn't one for bad moods typically. She could usually eat through a depression (there is nothing that cannot be made better with a bit of bean paste). However the arrival of her "new boss" was making her slowly mad.

Maybe it was the fact that he was the same age as her and yet much above her, or the fact that he was aware of this and his eyes hinted that he judged Orihime for being such a massive failure. Or maybe, it was the fact that he never let her finish her sentences and most of the times looked uninterested when she spoke. But Orihime already hated being under her new boss.

"Oh, so you are here finally." Came a high-pitched voice. Loly.

Orihime looked at Loly and the smaller woman immediately knew that something was wrong. The woman she was used to tormenting never had such an angry look in her eyes.

"What is it Loly?" Orihime almost snapped.

"Don't take that tone with me. I wonder if you managed to submit the report to Urahara san, given how you barely told us.."

"Barely told you what? Something that should have been plenty obvious?! If you are here to nag me about something that happened due to your unsurprising yet utter incompetence then I suggest that you scram before I submit a scathing supervisor evaluation!"

Loly blanched. In all of the 8 months that she had been at Aizen corps and working under Orihime, the older woman had never once raised her voice, or used a threat. Scared that this was one of those cases of quiet tolerant people that one day snap and shoot at random people, she backed off immediately, saying something about catching Orihime when she was feeling better.

Orihime raised an eyebrow. Typical bully. The moment you snap back at them, they cower like scared children.

* * *

><p>Orihime's bad mood continued into the night, as she met her friends at a neighborhood pub. Ulquiorra had unloaded a ton of work on her without realizing that it would rob her of her weekends. Being very efficient and a workaholic (and she was sure he had no personal life anyways), he didn't have a sense of what a normal workload meant. What was worse, Orihime realized that the indifferent, snarky Ulquiorra was not a reaction to her knocking him in the head? Oh no no. That WAS the real Ulquiorra. Yup! Cold, indifferent, expressionless with only subtle expressions of snark and mirth. That was going to be her life till she finished the damn project. Because by the looks of it, Ulquiorra would ensure that she didn't have a life till she finished the project.<p>

Her friends immediately noticed that something was off with Orihime. Firstly, she went straight to the hard liquor, downing three shots and midway through her vodka with orange juice (more vodka, less juice please) by the time Ichigo had arrived (minus Senna this time). Secondly, she seemed oddly switching between pensive and feisty. Thirdly, she seemed to be actively ignoring Ichigo.

It was no secret for her friends that Orihime had developed a fair amount of resentment towards Ichigo in the past few years; mostly due to his insensitivity. However, never once had their kind friend let it show on her face. Except once two years ago when she was rejected for a job with a childrens book company. But Ichigo was in throes of a new romance and too distracted to notice then.

Today, all by himself, however; he could tell. And in typical Ichigo fashion, he didn't understand why.

"Hiiiiimmmmmeeeeee! My gorgeous princesssss!" a red head waitress made a beeline for Orihime, and sensing that the grey-eyed woman was drunk, tried to cop in a feel.

Only to be swatted away by Orihime, much to the shock of her friends. Typically when Chizuru hit on Orihime, one of her friends had to intervene, as Orihime was too polite to refuse the lesbian.

"Back off Chizuru, I am NOT in the mood." Orihime looked at Chizuru defiantly. More stunned expressions. Renji shifted uncomfortably, while Chizuru's mouth hung open. Both Ishida and Rukia observed their friend carefully, trying to understand what had made her snap, while Nemu remained unaffected, stirring her drink. Ichigo had a stunned expression too, but quickly recovered.

"Thanks for stopping by Chizuru, but I think now might not be the best time." Rukia said finally. Unlike her other friends, Rukia knew that Orihime was perfectly capable of holding on her own when pushed into the situation. That she was acting this way only meant that something was testing her patience. Rukia didn't want to add to that by coddling her further. When ready, Orihime would tell her all about it, herself.

Post that the friends mostly maintained a steady stream of conversation, which Orihime mostly ignored.

"Ok, we have to leave. I need to be at office early tomorrow. Nii sama needs me to finish everything for the new plushie tomorrow." Said Rukia, making a move to leave.

"Yeah me too. Hitler wants me to be at office 8 AM sharp, and by sharp he means no useless delays caused by day dreaming." Grumbled Orihime. Rukia guessed that this "Hitler" was the cause of Orihime's bad mood, but knew better than to push for information when her friend was like this. Ichigo, on the other hand, didn't read the atmosphere at all.

"8 AM?! That's too early. Is this why you have been so upset? Is Urahara troubling you?" The orange head asked Orihime. Ishida and Renji collectively slapped their heads. Idiot strawberry.

"Huh? Urahara san? No, what are you…" Orihime seemed confused too.

"Then who is it that's bothering you Inoue? Do you want me to have a chat with them?" Ichigo huffed. Orihime looked at him a bit incredulously. Did he just suggest interfering in her workplace issues?!

"Its fine Kurosaki kun. Anyways I need to get home." She said, wanting to end the conversation immediately. Her friends seemed to think the same way as they all headed out quickly.

"Wait Inoue, you had too much to drink. I don't think it's a good idea to go by yourself in this state. I can drop you… or maybe Ishida and Nemu .."Ichigo didn't get a chance to finish. Orihime looked at him, annoyance clear in her eyes.

"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself; Ku-ro-sa-ki-ku-n." there was a chill in her voice. Without waiting for a stunned Ichigo to recover or respond, Orihime flipped her hair and walked off, waving at her friends as she headed towards the subway.

"wha.. what! Just happened?" But no one bothered enlightening Ichigo about the fact that Orihime Inoue had finally had enough of his over protectiveness.

* * *

><p>Ichigo looked at the clock next to his bedside. The neon lights flashed 2 AM. Damn he was going to be so dead in tomorrows pre med classes.<p>

His thoughts inadvertently went back to his auburn haired friend. Ichigo had known Orihime since they were both 12 years old. She lived close by and went to the same school. Yet it was the fateful day that her brother had breathed his last, that Ichigo had first met Orihime. His father's clinic had taken in Orihime's older brother Sora. However his wounds were too severe to be treated in a clinic and before better help could arrive, the man had succumbed to his injuries.

He still remembered that scene well enough. The fragile and helpless looking girl breaking down and screaming for her brother to come back. He would never forget that Orihime no matter how hard he tried. That was the side of Orihime he knew best. The vulnerable, soft Orihime. The lonely Orihime who needed to be protected.

Maybe it was because he had witnessed her trauma, or because he had a deep desire to protect; but somehow Ichigo had always found himself quite protective of Orihime. Her natural airheadedness only added to his protectiveness. He found it at once both exhilarating and tiresome. After all, while one may want to protect those dear to them, protecting them all the time could be a pain.

However this was the first time Ichigo found himself seeing his friend in a whole new light. She had snapped at him. In the 12 years that Ichigo had known Orihime, the auburn haired woman had not snapped at him but once. Yet instead of being upset, he found himself strangely amused. Because the Orihime he had seen tonight was an Orihime he did not know existed.

The way she had downed those drinks, the way she had asked Chizuru to back off, the way she had rolled her eyes when he had enquired about her boss, the way she had declined his help, then flipped her hair and walked off. It was like he was looking at an entirely different person.

For the first time he remembered details of what Orihime had been wearing. It was a modest sweater dress, yet it clung to her body alluringly. Had she always had such a huge chest? Ichigo silently reprimanded himself. What was he doing?! Orihime was a dear friend, almost a sister. He could not think such things about her.

But then why was he thinking about how sexy she looked as she snapped at him at 2 AM on a work day morning?

'Its because I am worried about her. That's all. That and the fact that I haven't had any at all since the last few months.' He grumbled. Senna was more naïve than he had first thought. Yeah that must be it. He was worried about Orihime and sexually frustrated that Senna was not ready yet and he was obviously mixing those two up. At 2:30 AM in the morning, this made a lot of sense to Ichigo, and finally he entered into a short lived and trubled sleeping spell. As his breath became steady, he quietly mumbled…"Ori..hime.."


	3. Its not personal, its just business

**Authors Note: Wow, thanks guys! Your reviews keep me motivated and I am posting chapters sooner than I thought! I do have a rather busy week coming up though, so this time I seriously might not post till at least a week or two (or not..:P). I love your reviews and I thought I might address a few things. About Orihime being an airhead: I wanted to show her canon cherry personality. I can be air headed myself sometimes, so I definitely don't think its a bad thing. In my opinion, what makes Orihime special is that she is quite a complex character with lots of kindness and resolve. She has her flaws, but she is very self aware. She can be ****air headed but she can also retort back (I am basing this assumption ENTIRELY on that one time she bitch-slapped Ulquiorra :P). Hopefully I can bring out this complexity to some degree in my writing. Orihime's grumpiness is mostly because of the constant bullying and the fact that well.. Ulquiorra brings out the worst in her too. ;). Anyways here is the next chapter. This one focusses on mostly Ulquiorra. I just wanted to add that the chapters will tend to focus on at most one or two pairs as I want to develop the interactions between my four protagonists. **

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. Its Tite Kubo's characters and my plot. **

**Chapter 3**

"The client, which happens to be the US Japan foundation, wants a symbol of the harmonious us Japan relations in a place where people can see and experience it on a day to day basis. For this purpose, we are proposing converting a 2 acre area in Bronx into a Sakura plantation. I have already spoken with the mayor and such an arrangement won't be completely impossible with the foundations backing... You want to say something Inoue san?" Ulquiorra stopped and stared at Orihime.

It wasn't that he was trying to be intimidating. But the way he went about facts with precision, reciting off of various documents opened on his Mac, he just came across as so in control of situation that Orihime felt that she might be making a stupid suggestion.

"Ano... Yeah. I read the initial request from the USJF. I was thinking that... Umm the idea of a huge plot of Sakura is... It's good. But maybe something more personal could be better?"

"Please elaborate."

He looked genuinely curious so Orihime ploughed on.

"Ummm, so firstly I think if the goal is to ensure that New Yorkers experience the us japan harmony, isn't it better to do something in a less remote place? Maybe Manhattan, so that even visitors can see it? Also, if it is about experience, we could go with something that is actually there for more than 2-3 weeks in a whole year. Sakura only blooms for a very short time. A Sakura field would just be a normal field the rest of the year."

"And how do you propose to create something that people can experience the whole year and plant it in the center of financial America..Inoue san?"

" umm... I... I don't know. I thought that was what we were supposed to do."

"So you are now telling me that instead of developing the logistics of this project, we should chase a new idea, which you haven't even thought through, which possibly goes against the two key points the clients raised, namely that they want the installation to be grand but not intrusive? What logic are you basing this on?"

Orihime stared at Ulquiorra a bit stunned. He was right, she knew that. And truthfully she didn't have any foolproof logic or even a retort to fling at his face for basically bludgeoning her idea politely. So she did the only thing she did when cornered. Mumbled.

"Err, but what about what people feel... "

"Which people? Right now the only feelings we consider are the clients feelings Inoue San. The client wants grand and we give them grand."

"Yes, but it's the people who will see..."

"What would you have me do? Ignore the client?"

Orihime was loosing her patience now. Ulquiorra had made her go through all the documents which had kept her awake the whole night, and deciding to actually go above and beyond her work she had spent another sleepless night researching. Since Ulquiorra had arrived, she was basically working non-stop and that wasn't the worse of it. Ulquiorra basically had a total of 2.5 emotions, which he used sparingly. So no matter what she said or did, there were times when she felt like she was talking to a wall. All this work and the thought she had put in.. she wasn't just going to stand there and let Ulquiorra dismiss her ideas without hearing her out!

"No! But we don't have to present something unimaginative that eventually most likely will be ignored by people; all for the sake of pacifying the client!"

Orihime blanched. Had she just raised her voice and called Ulquiorra's idea unimaginative?! If she were to be honest, she didn't think it was bad. It simply didn't go above and beyond. Actually it was created more to please the foundation into giving them the contract than actually making a difference in people's lives.

But she knew that even if she were dealing with a normal superior, she had crossed the line. And Ulquiorra was anything but normal.

In the few days that he had been in Tokyo, he barely spoke with anyone except Urahara on a few occasions, never said anything that wasn't work related and consistently turned down offers from her coworkers (mostly women) to go out drinking after work as if they were asking something ridiculous of him. Since his arrival everyone had come to the same conclusion: the weirdly hot new guy is not to be messed with.

And here she had gone on and messed with him. Oh great! Would he fire her? No,  
>Urahara San would save her surely. Wait. Maybe not, since she had been late too often these days. Oh dear... She was going to usher her 25th birthday unemployed...<p>

"If you are done day dreaming, may I continue... Inoue san..?" Ulquiorra always made it sound like adding a San to her name was a favor she was undeserving of.

"Huh? Oh yeah sure. Don't hold back on my account."

Ulquiorra smirked. The woman was giving him sass. Well, they'd see about that.

"I was saying that since you have such a keen understanding of what people want, and obviously a better idea up your sleeve; why don't you lead the project? And I ll work under you." He finished, looking, Orihime though, exceptionally smug. _The little emo bat!_ She would show him..

"WAIT WHAT?! This is obviously a joke right? I mean there is no way a despotic dictator like you would ever hand over his position to a minion like m.." Orihime clamped her mouth shut.

_No no no! this is not good. He looks way too happy and smug. Did I just call him a despotic dictator?! What it is about him?! It's like he enters the room and all restrains on my mouth come undone! Shit! And why in the lords name does he look so smug! _

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra with what looked to him like a mixture of confusion, terror and ... The look adults give children who have exceptionally chubby cheeks. Huh?! Ulquiorra quickly dismissed the last bit. No... The woman pulling his cheek would be beyond mortifying. How did that thought even enter his head?! Of course, being around someone as illogical and trippy as Orihime was probably rubbing onto him. He would have to amend that... By going as far away from this woman as possible.

"You heard right... Inoue San. You are leading the project and I am at your command. Now, I should get some lunch. Please let me know what I am supposed to do via e-mail. I shall see you later... Bosss"

As Ulquiorra slurred the last word in his deep voice, just a tad bit seductively; an image flashed in Orihime's mind.

Her, dressed as a secretary with glasses, leaning in on the work table while her "boss" Ulquiorra "punished" her from behind. _WHAT...The Royal Fuck!_ She turned completely red, thanking her stars that Ulquiorra had already left the office.

Then and there, Orihime decided that she was never going to watch office themed porn ever again!

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra was having a very good day. If anyone could read his barely moving expressions they would have been able to tell. But to the rest of the world, he appeared as stoic as ever.<p>

However on the inside Ulquiorra might as well have been hopping and strutting through poppy fields.

That woman was better entertainment than anything one could watch on television. Ulquiorra prided himself for his ability to remain calm and rational even in the most unlikely circumstances. So it was no surprise that he found people like Orihime downright amusing. She wore her heart on her sleeve, had inane ideas and dared challenge him. Him! Never once had he met someone who had managed to talk him down or stand up to him. More often than not he simply intimidated people.

It wasn't like he tried to. He was simply too serious. He minded his business. And he was extremely intelligent. Ulquiorra was raised in an orphanage, and to get out of that life he had worked very hard. Combined with his superior intellect he had whizzed through high school and gotten and full ride at Keio. But as always he found the curriculum unchallenging and finished his degree in 2 years instead of 4 and with top honors. That's how Aizen had noticed the prodigy.

Ulquiorra had no interest in urban planning, nor in Aizen. However Aizen offered him the one thing he had been looking for: challenge, and an opportunity to grow. He offered Ulquiorra a position in his New York office and an offer to fund his higher education at the best universities in US. This sounded challenging enough and Ulquiorra had agreed.

He had finished a graduate degree in urban planning at Columbia (again in one year) and risen to the position of RnD head so quickly it still shocked his colleagues. Especially since Ulquiorra sucked at office politics.

He was direct, honest and brutally critical. He could spot a tiny mistake from miles away and would point it out. If anything, he practically scared the rest of his coworkers due to his perceptiveness and the fact that most of the time he didn't bother hiding that he thought of them as thrash.

Needless to say, Ulquiorra had never had a meaningful interaction with anyone except Aizen on a few occasions.

That was, till he came to Tokyo. He had to admit, Orihime Inoue baffled him.

He had marked her as an airhead. Yet he had noticed that she single handedly took on the work of her entire department (mostly because she was easily bullied). She was easily bullied by worthless trash like that lily girl and yet she had given him snark on more than one occasion now. And despite her air headedness, he had agreed with her arguments in principle.

She was right, the Sakura plantation was unimaginative and overly grandiose. Much like the clients who had requested it. He knew that that was sole reason Aizen had even suggested it. After all, their job was to please the client and get the contract. If the client were classless then the proposal would have to resonate with that.

What was the woman talking about anyways? What people want? How they experience their surrounding? The people on whom this project would be dumped had already done their job by choosing their spokesperson. The mayor hadn't minded, the clients were bound to love the idea. Everything else seemed irrelevant to the project.

But the woman didn't think so. She had rightly spotted the error with the plan, yet her critique seemed illogical. So Ulquiorra had thought that maybe it was best if she lead the project.

Yeah! That was the reason. Not because he found it amusing to watch her flail around and suffer. No, not at all. After all that would be almost... Unkind.

Unknown to him, Ulquiorra had a half smile playing on his lips the entire day.


	4. What the heart desires

**AN: Hi guys. I just wanted to give a shout out to my lovely reviewers: ****teetertotter23, ulquihime7980****, ****yuli2401, Livingdeadclaire, chibisamasempai20, Guest and Kyon-sama. It means a lot to me. As this is a multi pairing story with one end game, I realise now that I won't be able to make everyone happy. However, I hope my story communicates the different relationships and Orihime's growth through them well. This chapter mainly focusses on Byakuya and Orihime. :) **

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

**Chapter 4: What the Heart desires**

Orihime did not remember the last time she had been this possessed. Inherently she was extremely stubborn and when pushed to it, gave her 110%. This was mainly the reason why she had been a top student and gotten into Tokyo U. But even then she had worked hard, but never had to push herself so completely. If she were being honest with herself, she was actually enjoying it.

Orihime seldom found herself overworked at her job. But this was different. There was a purpose. To prove Ulquiorra wrong.

Of course he looked smug when telling her she was going to lead. He knew she would fail. He WANTED her to fail. But would she? Oh no no. Ulquiorra Cifer had chosen to mess with the wrong person. And he would pay! Oh how he would pay..

"Orihime, I am a bit.. worried."

"Huh?! Ah, Rukia chan! No no don't worry about me. I am fine.. ehehehe."

"No, I am worried about whoever you were thinking about right now." Rukia smirked knowingly.

"Oh, batman then."

"Batman?" Rukia was accustomed to Orihime's wild imagination, but she had never seen it used when she spoke about work.

"Yeah, Batman. He came from Gotham to make my life hell. Or so he thinks. Dude doesn't know what's coming at him though. He gave me the lead of this project because he wants to see me fail. But I am NOT giving him that satisfaction, Oh no.."

"Wow! I must meet this batman then!" Rukia said in wonder.

"Huh?! Why? He is not much. Puny little bat!"

"I doubt a puny little bat would have you so wound up, Hime. So….. is batman hot?" Rukia winked.

"Yes…I mean.. no! I mean, what does his hotness have anything to do with this?!"

"Aaaaand I have my answer! Anyways so long Orihime. I should get back home now. Renji has been a bit too needy these days."

"I don't know what you mean Rukia chan, but eww.. TMI. I don't need to know what you and Renji do behind closed doors."

"I meant needy for my attention, gutter brains. Where has your head been lately? I will have to reprimand this batman.." But Rukia never finished. One look at Orihime's pouted face and she burst into laughter. Her friend was so clueless and cute, it was adorable.

Well, hot or not, she was glad that in some weird twisted way, batman was influencing Orihime positively. For, in all of the two years since Orihime had started working, Rukia had never seen her so alive.

* * *

><p>Byakuya looked at his messages. Orihime had cancelled on him; again. As an entrepreneur he understood that things could get busy, but this was a bit ridiculous. They were to meet 2 weeks ago, and Orihime had forgotten about that meeting. Then she had called and apologized profusely, and they had scheduled to meet in a few days. Only for that meeting to be cancelled too.<p>

If Byakuya did not know better, he would have thought that Orihime was trying to avoid seeing him. But the woman didn't seem capable of such cunning. She was just busy.

But Byakuya didn't like being hung loose. It pissed him off. So he had decided that enough was enough. One did not give a cold shoulder to Kuchiki Byakuya. So he drove towards Orihime's home, thinking all the while how this was very illogical, but unable to stop himself anyways.

He walked up to her apartment, still considering turning back, when the door opened. The woman in front of him looked completely out of sorts. She was wearing a tank top and pajama with one leg dragged up till mid thigh. Her glasses were propped on her head (wait she wore glasses?), she was staring intently at her ipad, while chewing a pen and her thick auburn hair was tied in a messy bun with strands framing her face messily.

She looked absolutely delectable. Byakuya's eyes widened, more at his train of thought than the appearance of the woman in front of him. She had noticed him too. And that she had not been expecting him was an understatement. Ipad flew out of her hand, as the pen fell on the floor. Byakuya gracefully caught the ipad.

"Kuchiki san! I … I wasn't expecting you! Errr, pardon me for my appearance."

"Not at all. I was the one who came unannounced. I should be the one apologizing." Byakuya said, calm as ever. Plus, the woman need not apologize for her appearance.

"Ah ok… umm, come in! Ah, its super messy though! I am usually not THIS disorganized but things have been crazy at work." She rambled on, as she stepped aside and let him.

Briefly, Byakuya mused at how Orihime maintained her well-behaved and polite demeanor despite her appearance and how shocked she was at what was rightfully a breach of her personal space. Then he took in the appearance of her one bedroom apartment. Papers and cups of coffee were everywhere, with smattering of clothes in between. Was that a bra?!

The woman had obviously been bringing work home. Actually that might be the understatement of the century. He felt a pang of guilt of coming unannounced, or rather coming at all.

"I apologize again. I knew you were busy. I should have called." Called and what? Byakuya thought. Why had he come here, seeking her out?

True they had now been on all of 3 dates as a part of an omiai. But those would hardly count as dates. They were more meetings to discuss the business of marriage. And had he not been the one to tell Orihime upfront that this was to be a business deal? He had no plans of loving anyone as he had loved Hisana. He would be a good husband, but nothing more than that.

In his mind, therefore, this was just a way of whetting the candidates for crazies (as Renji would say), discuss if there were at least some common interests, make the girl aware of his circumstances, and then pick someone whom he could tolerate. Walking in unannounced after being jilted did not feature in this plan. According to the plan, he should have simply rejected Orihime due to her tardiness and moved on to the next candidate. As it were, he needed to find a way to cut down the long list his family had created.

However, much to Byakuya's chagrin, he found himself doing things that didn't make sense when it came to Inoue Orihime. Byakuya briefly pondered if maybe he was falling for her, but quickly dismissed the thought. He knew what love felt like; he knew very well he could never feel it again. And this did not feel like love.

Yet, he couldn't help himself from checking out the frazzled woman in front of him as she desperately tried to clean up and make space for him to sit and then went about making some tea (only to realize that she had run out of cups; all of them currently holding stale coffee). The lack of organization was strangely comforting.

"I can take my tea in a glass Inoue san." Byakuya gently mentioned when Orihime started looking positively distressed about the cups.

"Oh no! Tea in a glass just doesn't suit you Byakuya san!" she blabbed before she could stop herself. _Oh great! Now I have no restraint on my speech even when that dictator bat isn't around!_

"If you think that Inoue san, then you simply don't know me." Byakuya said, with a glint of mischief in his eyes as he went ahead and poured the hot water and tea leaves in her pink hello kitty glass.

"Ah, I always wondered if it would be a good idea to make seaweed admiral merchandise. But then again, that would make the admiral very commonplace and peasant like." Byakuya sighed, talking about his trademark plushie as if it were a person.

Orihime's eyes widened. What the hell was up with the men around her lately?! Were they all secretly hiding some sort of a dual personality they had decided to unleash on her all together? First it was that Ulquiorra being all cutesie and smug despite the fact that he was supposed to be emotionless. Then it was Kurosaki kun who was supposed to be indifferent to her, giving a damn. And now Byakuya, who literally oozed nobility and propriety, sighing over seaweed admiral, drinking tea from her hot pink hello kitty glass, while propped on a cushion that was barely covering her bra… oh shit! Her bra.

Quickly grabbing her lingerie, Orihime threw it under the sofa, and poured herself some tea too.

"So, what brings you here Kuchiki san?" she said, trying to change the topic from whether seaweed admiral should have merchandise (of course they should! Chappy was her favorite and would have replaced everything hello kitty if Byakuya would just stop treating his plushies like modern art! Not that orihime would tell Byakuya, something told her he would be furious.)

"Oh, I was simply wondering if you were all right. Your cancellations were…, uncharacteristic."

"Oh, that's sweet of you Kuchiki san. And I am sorry. It's just that work has been crazy. "

"Then I must be keeping you. I'll take my leave" Byakuya made a step to move.

"Oh no! Its ok! I haven't seen a person in a week, since I last saw Rukia! This is actually… nice. If you don't mind the mess and drinking tea from a glass."

"Please don't apologize for the mess. As for the glass, I don't mind really. I have always admired the handiwork on Hello Kitty, unimaginative as a cute kitty might be for plushies."

Right. Noble and hot aside, Byakuya WAS the founder and owner of a plushie company. Orihime found his seriousness extremely cute and stifled a laugh, as he enlightened her some more about how the various strokes of Hello Kitty's whiskers were a work of art, but how he had really tried to push the boundaries of such art with seaweed admiral. She almost felt guilty for thinking of seaweed admiral as a blob. Almost.

Soon Orihime was filling Byakuya in about the project. Byakuya was surprised, to say the least. He had always thought that Orihime didn't care much about her job and possibly even lacked career ambition. Why else would a woman appear so somber on weekends, as if just going through the week had drained her of all her energy? But the Orihime before him was not like the Orihime he had met the three times before.

Her eyes burned with a strange fire as she spoke passionately about how urban development should be about the people who experience it and not those who control what goes where. How a company's job was not just to make profit but also to create something meaningful that affected peoples lives. Byakuya was surprised by the articulate and intelligent way in which she expressed these thoughts, not once appearing just idealistic and naïve, but someone who genuinely cared about people and knew the limitations of achieving this in the current corporate environment. Even when she digressed about some batman, Byakuya simply chalked this up to her wild imagination (wait she had one? He hadn't noticed before). Before they both knew, they had chatted up for more than two hours.

Orihime was surprised at how light she felt after talking about her work to Byakuya, and Byakuya was surprised that for the first time in a while he had actually had fun. Then he looked at the time. It was way past when it was appropriate to be at a woman's house.

"This has been…, delightful. But I think I should take my leave. And you should get some sleep." Byakuya said, getting up to clean the glass.

"Ah, don't worry about the glass Byakuya san.. I mean, Kuchiki san…"

"You can call me Byakuya. And I am not so ill mannered that I cannot clean up after myself."

Strange, she had thought he would expect everyone to serve him.

"Ah ok. Umm, thank you Byakuya san." Orihime said, as Byakuya grabbed his coat and made his way to the door.

"It was.. fun! I am really thankful for the distraction! It was relaxing.. hehe." Orihime said, smiling and scratching her head.

Maybe it was that dorky smile, or the messy appearance, or the fact that they had had an unforced and actually fun conversation. But for some reason, Byakuya found himself leaning towards Orihime, putting a strand of her hair back behind her ears, as if it were of utmost important that the strand not be in her face.

Orihime froze at the intimate contact, and then looked into Byakuya's eyes. That snapped the limited rationality in his mind, and he leaned in and kissed her, full on lips.

It was a light kiss, not forced or urgent. Technically it would really be just a peck. But Orihime froze nevertheless. Apparently so had Byakuya.

As if coming out of a trance, he suddenly realized what he had done. He felt his heart give one singular thud.

"I will see you once you are less busy. Rest well.. Orihime." He said appearing as calm as ever, then turned around and walked away as if kissing Orihime had been completely natural.

Orihime stood transfixed at the door. Slowly her hand went up to her lips. The extremely regal and devastatingly handsome Kuchiki Byakuya had just stolen her first kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>PS:The batman inspiration is from Bleach Lists Girl. You should check her out on Tumblr, she has a list about Ulquiorra and Batman locked in a room.<strong>


	5. Breaking Resolve

**Authors Note: Again, thank you to my lovely reviewers! You guys keep me going. To those who have read but don't have much to say I guess, please do drop me a line; let me know what you like and don't like. I do love all your comments. :) If not, I do hope you enjoy. Here is the next chapter. This will mainly focus on Orihime's work with a bit of IchiHime and wee little UlquiHime. :). Also, a much much bigger chapter this time to make up for the smaller chapters before. :))**

**Art: As my older readers must have noticed, I changed the picture associated with this story. I basically took Tite Kubo's artwork and created the collage with an app called MeituPic. I quite like it actually, gives off the feeling of a multi pairing drama which is what this is. **

**Music: As and when its relevant, I ll try to add some music, which was probably playing in my mind while writing the chapter. The lyrics don't always associate with the plot, but the music somehow speaks to it. So for the very beginning and end of this chapter, I was listening to this music, so you can play it if you want: watch?v=5d3VB4_Gjpk**

**Disclaimer: Tite Kubo created these amazing characters. I just hope I can give them more romantic action and character development in an AU where they aren't so busy fighting each other. ;)**

**Chapter 5: Breaking Resolve **

Orihime had a good feeling about this. She had worked her ass off in the last few weeks, developing every minor detail of an idea that had finally struck her after a moment of inspiration. She had tried to imagine all possible concerns with the idea, and she had prepared a presentation that she was genuinely proud of.

What was more surprising, she didn't mind the sleepless nights and the long hours it had taken. She felt genuinely excited about her idea and the work she had put into it.

Her work had also helped her take her mind of the strange happenings in her love life. For one, the kiss with Byakuya and secondly the fact that Ichigo had called her about the fifteenth time this week. But mostly the kiss with Byakuya.

Orihime was new to the whole arranged date leading to marriage thing, so she didn't know if it qualified as a real date. After all Byakuya WAS meeting other women too. And they had mostly talked "business" till the last time he had come unannounced. Till then, Orihime had considered Byakuya the same way he was considering her: were their values similar? Did he seem like a decent enough person to spend a lifetime with? With love out of the cards, did they have enough in common to sustain a lifetime partnership? Did he want that with her and more importantly did she want that with him?

Of course Orihime had noticed that Byakuya was attractive. More than the normal 'attractive male' attractive. Actually cancel that, he was practically a god and she often felt like a frumpy mortal in his presence. However she knew that looks were not the only deciding factor in love or life. Also when it came to looks, there were plenty attractive males around her.

There was Ichigo, who by all conventional standards was a complete hottie; even her friends Renji and Uruyu were very good looking. Also despite his overly serious and sour attitude, Ulquiorra was extremely hot, practically as blindingly beautiful as Byakuya up close actually. Heck even her bosses Aizen and Urahara were extremely attractive, even if she would rather die single than consider romancing the two evil geniuses as she liked to call them in her thoughts.

So yes, it wasn't that she was taken by his looks. No, it was the fact that for the first time, she had had fun chatting with Byakuya. Usually his lack of expressions was intimidating. She briefly mused at how Ulquiorra was equally stoic, but it usually drove her to poke fun at him or want to pinch his cheek.

But Byakuya's stoicness made her feel that she should be on her best behavior. However in a patriarchal society like hers, it wouldn't be completely out of ordinary to have such a relationship with her husband. After all, women were supposed to respect their husbands, and she definitely respected Byakuya. Maybe that's why she hadn't rejected the idea of marrying him, despite the fact that he scared her.

But was she prepared for that dorky fun Byakuya? Would she even see that Byakuya again? Could their last spontaneous meeting and kiss mean that if she ever entered into matrimony with Byakuya, there was a possibility that they could fall in love?

Orihime's heart thudded at the possibility. She had never known any love except Ichigo. And she had to admit even the idea of loving Byakuya felt very very different. It was like looking into an older more mature and elegant future version of herself. A version that was older and more refined to keep up with the noble and meet all the expectations set upon her by his family, yet grounded enough to match him and his quirkyness at every step.

Byakuya was much older than Orihime; about ten or so years actually. And he had lived a lifetime while she was just blooming. He had started his own company, travelled the world, fallen in love and married a woman, fighting for his love. But more importantly, he had loved and lost.

A 'business deal, make babies and look alive' type marriage was one thing. An active companionship and romance; quite another. The possibility both excited and scared Orihime.

Which is why she was thankful that she had the amount of work she had.

"Inoue?"

" Oh hey! Kurosaki kun! Umm fancy bumping into you on the train! You don't usually take this line right?" Orihime was surprised to find the other cause of her emotional turmoil on the subway with her.

"Yeah, I was coming to see you actually."

What was it with the men in her life coming in unannounced at the one time she was most likely to be out of sorts and in no mood to socialize?! Also, just her luck to bump into one of them on a crowded train in one of the most dense cities in the world!

"Oh! Umm is everything ok?" She asked.

"I have the same question for you Inoue. I... I mean We ..were all a bit worried about you. I mean I have USMLE exams coming up so I get how crazy work can be sometimes, but if you need something we are there for you. I am always there for you." He gave his kind smile and Orihime found herself melting looking into his brown eyes. Damn hormones! It sucked being young and surrounded by nice attractive men! Wasn't she thinking of Byakuya literally a few seconds ago?! _Bad Orihime! _

"Umm... Thanks Kurosaki kun. I am nearing the big day with the client presentation so things should lighten up after that. But knowing that my friends are there for me means a lot." Orihime smiled. Did she see a bit of disappointment in Ichigo's face when she mentioned the word friend? Nah... Must be hormones. She would have to check when her period was due. That would explain her messed up emotions and raging hormones.

_Or maybe it's that emo bat! Maybe he was releasing some sort of weird pheromones that makes sane women PMS around him! Yeah! That must be why I have been so moody since he arrived! _

Orihime pumped a fist in the air, exalted by her insight. Ichigo sweat dropped and nervously looked around. Ah great! Everyone in the carriage had noticed.

"Umm so Inoue do you want to grab dinner or something?"

"Huh? Ah... No no it's ok Kurosaki kun! I got some bread and jello and I'll probably eat and walk! Can't waste a moment or I won't be able to defeat batman!"

"Defeat batman? Have you joined some crime syndicate Inoue?"

"Nnn..noooo! Why would you say that?!"

"Well... Batman is a nice guy. So if you are planning to defeat him..."

"Batman is NOT a nice guy! He is the reincarnation of Hitler..."

Ichigo sweat dropped again. There she was again, going on about some weird happenings in another dimension. And why was he playing along? Oh yeah, because he was prone to getting carried away with Orihime's antics. An image of them going bohahahaha ala don kanonji flashed in his mind. Errrr...

"Suuurreee Inoue. Well if you are busy then all the best! Go get batman!" Ichigo sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Thank you Kurosaki kun! I KNEW you would be on team Hime."

"Oh yeah! Absolutely! As long as you don't plan to have any weird team gestures, I am on board!"

Orihime laughed. She hadn't hung out one on one with Ichigo in a while. She was glad that her initial days of awkwardness around him were long gone. Ichigo was not Rukia, but he could still cheer her up in his own way.

They said goodbye at her stop, and Orihime briefly thought it was a bit rude of her to send him back after he had clearly come all the way out just to be with her. But she would make up for being a bad friend to all her friends once she was done.

With newfound resolve, Orihime walked towards her home, looking forward to another long night of work.

* * *

><p>Orihime looked outside at the Tokyo skyline from the conference room. It was a wide and sunlit room with wide windows facing the massive skyline. It was still 7 AM and the sky was a beautiful shade of pink. Orihime took a deep breath.<p>

Today was the day of the presentation. The day the clients would decide whether they wanted to go with Aizen Corp's idea or not. All the hard work, tears and blood for the last three weeks and it would all culminate into the big presentation. And yet there was a possibility that her idea would be rejected. After all Ulquiorra had warned her about the client's nature. Also his research notes were extremely insightful and thorough and they too indicated that the client liked grand and showy.

However Orihime firmly believed that their job was not to manage the client but ensure that they were serving the ultimate customers. Hopefully she would be able to make the clients see things her way.

Orihime felt a knot in stomach_. Ugh!_ The nerves had been getting her since the past afternoon. She had blazed through the weeks with sheer willpower but now that the presentation was a few hours away, she had started thinking about what would happen if the clients rejected her proposal.

She heard the door of the conference room open.

"Good morning Inoue san."

" Ah! Cifer san! You are here early."

" I can say the same about you. Is everything set for 10 AM?"

"Yes. I finished everything last evening. But just double checking."

"Hmmm. Good. I am in my office if you need me." With that he turned around and left. Strange, Orihime hadn't expected him to show up so early. Maybe the guy didn't really have anything better to do than work. The thought made her feel a bit sad.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra paced in his office, feeling uncharacteristically antsy. One could almost say he was nervous. The woman had said she was ready, yet she hadn't even forwarded him a copy of the presentation. So, just like the clients, he would be hearing her for the first time.<p>

Such recklessness was not like him. He liked knowing so he could analyze every tiny detail for possible flaws. Being lead into the unknown was not his thing. He hated it. But he had handed over the reins to the woman. And she had not bothered to involve him any further from that point on.

It wasn't that she was playing games. Ulquiorra guessed that she was simply too uncomfortable ordering people around. So she had done all the work herself. With all the time on his hand, Ulquiorra had contemplated devising a back up plan in case the woman made a complete fool of herself. However swooping in with a better idea while she was failing was akin to one-upping her. So he had stopped himself from doing such a thing.

Truly this woman evaded his comprehension. What was he supposed to do? Have faith in her? The mere idea was preposterous. Ulquiorra Cifer did not bother with mushy things like blind faith. It was one thing to know what she was doing and have conviction in it; completely another to just assume that she would be fine. Wrought with anxiety that the woman showed no inclination to seek his help, he had researched some information about her.

He had found that the only reason she had ever shared her workload was because Urahara would always specifically ask her that he wanted everything to be completed by the team for their development and so it was Orihime's duty to assign work to her subordinates to ensure their training and education. Ulquiorra had scoffed at that. Of course that woman would buy such obvious hogwash. Training his ass! Most people under her were lazy and incompetent and had more cunning than her. They knew how to shift the work on her and almost always managed to.

Ulquiorra sighed. He had known the woman for a few weeks now. He knew she was capable. Not because she had a fancy degree but because she had a keen mind and plenty of perseverance. However, he did not understand her way of thinking about things, which made it impossible for him to predict what she would do next. He wasn't worried that she would walk into that presentation unprepared. However he was worried what she would actually talk about, and most of all, that she would completely ignore his subtle warnings about the clients.

Ulquiorra sighed again. He would simply have to trust her.

* * *

><p>As Orihime finished presenting her idea of a Japanese style resting area in the middle of Times Square, she felt something off. The clients were looking…. Upset? No, they all had different expressions. She looked at Ulquiorra, who gave her a nod, indicating that they leave the room and give the clients a moment to talk about their decision.<p>

They left together and stood outside, Orihime now feeling a strange sensation in her stomach. She wasn't unused to stomach upsets, though they had gotten less frequent as she toned down her "experimental cooking". But this felt bad.

"That was… quite thorough." Ulquiorra said quietly.

"Thanks!" Orihime was surprised to say the least. Had the statue just complimented her?!

"I did not say it was likely to succeed. But in principle, the idea is novel and well thought out." _Of course, stupid Orihime, for thinking batman would ever compliment me._

After about 20 minutes they were asked to join the clients inside the conference room. The clients, a group of four men and one woman from USJF looked somber to say the least.

Orihime sighed. This was a bit anti climactic, though expecting them to be excited about it was asking for too much she supposed.

"Is this your work too, Cifer san? " An ancient looking man asked Ulquiorra pointedly.

"We worked on it together." Ulquiorra answered easily.

"Well then I have to say I am disappointed."

Orihime blanched. Oh crap! The worse case scenario was happening…

"It is very thorough and well researched and I have to say the idea itself is also very unique. However I highly doubt that the City of New York would allow a resting area in the middle of the most crowded street in the world. It would be giving a free invitation to the homeless. There was no mention of a permit here so I am guessing you did not check with them. Furthermore, a resting area is private and covered. True, subtlety always has been an inherent part of our culture. But if people cannot see it unless they choose to rest, how are they to get the message of perfect harmony between the two countries?"

Orihime felt her eyes burning. No! She was not going to cry in front of the client. The first point was valid. And an oversight on her part. Ulquiorra had an entire file with jargon and details on legal permits and property laws in NYC. But somehow, in all the work she had, she must have missed looking into it thoroughly. Oh why hadn't she asked Ulquiorra to do it?! It was not like she minded him working on this. Why couldn't she just ask him to do something? Wasn't he under her command?!

"Finally, Cifer san; Aizen san spoke about a sakura field. We have been propositioned by some of the best urban planning companies in the world. Yet, when Aizen san proposed a sakura field, we were intrigued. Knowing his fantastic instincts about what works in terms of urban installations and the fact that he promised his best man would work on the project, we had thought it would be in good hands. However this project is completely lacking in the business acumen and perceptiveness you are known to display."

That crafty old man! Orihime knew he didn't believe Ulquiorra had come up with this idea. Yet, he was speaking at Ulquiorra as if it was entirely his fault. Just to make Orihime feel bad. Well, it was working very well. A few more words and she would be bawling her eyes out. This was worse than the worse case scenario. Not only was the client going to reject their proposal, they actually sounded mad and they were blaming it on Ulquiorra, who had warned her weeks ahead that this would happen. This old geezer had guilt tripping down to a science.

" Do you have anything to say to why we have wasted our time, Cifer san?"

"No. Aizen sama selects his employees on the implicit assumption that we have both the intellect and aptitude to ensure quality work. And quality work we have presented. The problem here is difference of opinion, and that I cannot amend."

Orihime stared at Ulquiorra. Was he… maybe… in that unaffected way of his… trying to defend her? Trying mind you, because it didn't sound like he had conviction in her work. He wasn't fighting for it. But he wasn't laughing at her face, telling her he said so. And, he was not correcting the client to free himself of any responsibility of what could only be described as a debacle. Orihime felt her throat clench with gratitude at the cold man.

The old man huffed and looked away, apparently he was done talking. His colleagues shifted uncomfortably before the woman next to him spoke.

"Ano.. We did have a hard time coming to an agreement about the project. It is indeed a novel idea. However even if we agree we are confident the City will reject it. Yamamoto taicho was simply concerned…"

"Make it quick Ise san!" The old man said testily.

"Umm, right." The woman shifted her glasses, not very unlike Ishida.

"While your proposal was very… umm, intriguing, we have decided not to go with it." She finished. Orihime felt herself going numb. _I should have prepared better for the worse case scenario. Now batman will chew me alive once they leave. And I would not blame him for it. Heck I would have killed him if our positions were reversed. _

Without further questions, they party stood up and walked out. The old man called Yamamoto stopped next to Ulquiorra and looked at Orihime pointedly.

"Aizen san will hear of this Cifer san. I don't appreciate my time being wasted like this."

With that he walked out, leaving Orihime completely crushed. Soon after Ulquiorra followed suit, simply too angry to speak.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra wasn't shocked by the turn of events. The moment Orihime had presented the idea, he knew it would be rejected. The woman had gone ahead and ignored everything he had told her. Whats more, she had completely ignored the memo on city permits. Most likely because this wasn't work one person could handle anyways. Why hadn't she come to him?<p>

It was too late for that. He felt angry that she hadn't foreseen this. He had initially thought that her idea might be too far fetched for the client to buy. However ignoring basic orders was downright infuriating. It angered him even more that she had put the kind of work into it that she had.

She had created quite a brilliant project, complete with minute details and plans; work that with any other client would have earned her a contract and possibly a promotion. Yet due to her silly desire to do some greater good, she had wasted all that good work on a client that would never appreciate it. And he was completely helpless to do anything.

The woman didn't understand, dragging out even one single flaw (and a fatal flaw in this case) and then putting people on the spot for it using guilt and coercion; was something Genryusai Yamamoto would do. The man was formidable and sometimes downright scary. Ulquiorra knew that he wanted to know who had digressed and changed the initial sakura plantation idea, so he could ensure that Aizen would have to fire the said employee. And as idealistic and foolish as the woman was, she didn't deserve being fired for it.

Typically Ulquiorra would not have cared. But he found that for some reason the idea of Orihime getting fired (and knowing Aizen, probably having her career in urban planning decimated) was scarier than what might happen to him now that Yamamoto was pissed at both the proposal and his defiance.

Oh well, he didn't care much about urban planning beyond the opportunity it gave him to challenge himself and solve problems. He realized that Orihime was still in the conference room. Suddenly an image of her looking back at him sadly and then jumping through the glass windows flashed through his head. _'What a ridiculous notion.'_

However in a matter of minutes Ulquiorra was in the conference room, only to see that Orihime had cleaned up and was packing to leave.

"Ah, Cifer san.. I think I'll take the day off. If that's ok." he could tell she was desperately trying to not cry.

"I can carry your bag." Ulquiorra didn't wait for her to reply and simply took her bag and lead the way. He sucked at these things. Also crying women petrified him.

As they reached the building lobby, Orihime grabbed her bag from his hand.

"Umm, I am… about the presentation." He could tell she wanted to apologize, but was having a hard time doing that without bursting into tears. So he decided to spare her.

"We'll talk tomorrow. You can go home and rest." He had meant it well, but in his flat voice it sounded a bit cold.

However the woman gave him a thankful smile and started walking towards the exit. As he saw her walking away, Ulquiorra felt his heart clench and was seized with the desire to run after her. _Ridiculous! That would be pointless_, he reprimanded himself. Yet he noticed that he had already walked a few steps towards her retreating figure.

"Woma.."

"Inoue?! Are you all right?!"

Ulquiorra looked at a tall orange haired man stride towards the woman. Was he her brother? He looked too unrefined to share the same genes as the woman.

"K..Kuro..saki..kun? W..Why are you here?"

"It was your presentation today right? Rukia, Renji and I were planning to take you out for lunch so I came ahead to save you from the clutches of batman."

Ulquiorra's lips thinned in a straight line. _Maybe they are related then.._

"Th..Thanks Kurosaki kun." Orihime's voice was hushed, very much aware that Ulquiorra might still be in hearing range.

"Are you ok Inoue?"

As if a dam had been broken, the woman came undone at these words, and as if on cue, the orange haired male ran to her, taking her in his arms. _Not siblings then_, Ulquiorra thought as he turned around and walked into the elevator.

Unbeknownst to him, the man next to him shrunk from the deadly aura emanating from the green-eyed man.


	6. Shifting sands

**AN: Ok so this got done way quicker than I had expected! And so, here you have it.. Not one, but two chapters. ;) I foresee busy times though so updates might be a bit more random. I have until Chapter 8 written out now, however we'll see how it goes in terms of speed of updates. As usual, please leave a hi if you liked what you read. Love hearing from you all! Again, some IchiHime and a lot of drama ahead. I have been building up this story in the past chapters, however things will move a lot faster and get more dramatic from this point on. So brace yourself. ;)**

**Disclaimer: ****Tite Kubo created these amazing characters. I just hope I can give them more romantic action and character development in an AU where they aren't so busy fighting each other. ;)**

**Chapter 6: Shifting sands**

Soon after being hugged by Ichigo, Orihime had burst into almost hysterical sobs. In the end, he had had to take her to her apartment, and stayed with her as she bawled her eyes out. Ichigo had also cancelled the lunch plans with Rukia and Renji, making some excuse, as Orihime did not feel like going over her massive failure with them. Now, almost four hours later, she felt a lot lighter.

She looked up gratefully as Ichigo walked up to her; with tea in one hand and a ham sandwich he had put together in another.

"Here, about time you ate something. I even put bean paste in the sandwich." He said, barely able to control the slightly disgusted look at the smells that had assaulted him as he made the sandwich.

"Thank you Kurosaki kun. It means a lot." Orihime looked at him gratefully.

"Don't act so stiff with me Inoue. You know you can count on me if you find yourself troubled."

Orihime looked into his warm brown eyes and realized again why she had fallen in love with him in the first place. It was this kindness, this tendency he had to go above and beyond, even if it made him uncomfortable, for the people he cared about. Most women were attracted to Ichigo's devil may care attitude and wrongly assumed that he was a bad boy. But Orihime knew that despite his tendency to rush into things before thinking, and his general brashness, he was an extremely kind person on the inside.

"Feeling better Inoue?" Ichigo smiled at Orihime as she gobbled up her sandwich. Orihime nodded.

"Want to talk about what happened?"

Orihime wasn't feeling like it, but she filled Ichigo in on the happenings anyways. After all he had spent his entire afternoon cleaning her snot. He deserved an explanation. After she was done Ichigo looked thoughtful for while.

" I can see why that oyaji speaking at you both like that affected you so much. But by the sounds of it, batman took all the blame."

Ichigo instantly regretted his words. Orihime looked so small and guilty in that moment that he was overcome with a desire to take her in his arms.

"Errr I mean, listen I think it's his fault too. He knew what he was dealing with, yet he gave you the lead and never bothered enlightening you.."

"He told me up front Kurosaki kun. Also I was the one who didn't ask for his help. He said he was at my command.."

"Which he put you in knowing you would fail. I am not blaming him Inoue, the guy took all the blame and basically protected you from that old geezer. But he wasn't exactly innocent. And he mentioned it wasn't about the quality of work but different values right? I don't think you should blame yourself so much."

Orihime sighed. She wasn't worried about consequences for herself. Or the fact that Yamamoto had made her feel like the most foolish person in the world. She was worried that she might have harmed Ulquiorra and the company by her stubbornness and unwillingness to learn not to mix idealistic fantasies with business.

However as she thought back on Ichigo's words it dawned onto her that even though Ulquiorra had never been more than civil with her, in his own way he had defended her. Why would he do that? Chauvinism? Did he feel sorry for her? Or did he feel bad for switching places with her just to teach her a lesson? Either ways, since he had shouldered the blame she could only feel guiltier.

That night, after Ichigo left, Orihime firmed her resolve. She would not just sit in a corner and cry. If it were the last thing she did, she would ensure that Aizen Corp and Ulquiorra would not pay for her mistakes.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra looked at the clock. The woman should be in the office by now. He had been wracked with nervousness since he had seen her burst into sobs in the arms of the orange haired male. However, logically speaking, she was clearly with someone who was closer to her than him, and hence in better hands. Also, Ulquiorra had never been one to comfort people. He simply wasn't good at it and had a habit of laying things as they were, which usually caused people to become even more miserable. So it was probably for the better for the woman that she had chosen to cry out her worries in front of her other male friend.<p>

Yet, Ulquiorra had been irritated the whole time and had barely slept a wink. He chalked it down to his anxiety about what Yamamoto might do and worse, what Aizen might do. However, Aizen had not contacted Ulquiorra about the matter (despite the fact that Yamamoto had sent Aizen a scathing e mail, cc-ing Ulquiorra). Urahara too, had been strangely quiet, but had told Ulquiorra to expect hell for this slip. He had almost looked sad, as if he didn't think Ulquiorra and Orihime deserved hell for loosing one of the oldest clients of Aizen Corp. But then again, Urahara had never agreed with Yamamoto and so bad was their relationship that the smoother, more slippery Aizen was left to do dealings with USJF all by himself.

Ulquiorra sighed. He hated all these weird sensations in his stomach and chest when that woman was around. Of course crazy people would ultimately rub in on you. And the woman was definitely crazy.

He got up to get himself the fifteenth glass of water, passing by the woman's cubicle and stopped. The woman was there now, and whats more, was staring at her desk longingly, as if she would never see it again.

"Ahem.."

"Ah! Cifer san! You surprised me! Ehehehe.."

"I see you are as energetic as ever, Inoue san." Ulquiorra said, nonplussed.

"Umm… yeah.."

Was the woman sad again? Ulquiorra wondered if he had some hidden ability to suck life out of people. His eyes fell on an empty box next to the woman's desk.

"What is the box for?"

"Ah! Oh, well…" the woman looked absolutely heart broken now. Ulquiorra wished he hadn't asked the question and was about to tell her to not bother answering when she sighed heavily and looked up to him with eyes full of resolve. Ulquiorra was amazed at the change.

"I have decided to quit Aizen Corp." _What?!_

"What happened yesterday… the fact that we lost that contract, is solely my fault. I plan to take full responsibility. I e-mailed Urahara san today and umm, asked him to forward my message to Aizen san and Yamamoto san. Hopefully this way your career won't be jeopardized."

Ulquiorra willed himself to say something. To move, twitch his nose. Something! However he stood frozen. A rage such has he had never known consumed him. He simply could not understand the way this woman thought. Did she think that she was being a martyr by quitting, thinking that it would somehow exempt him from his responsibility in the fiasco?!

After he felt like he could talk calmly, Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes and looked squarely at the woman.

"Hmm… I must say I am a bit surprised Inoue san. I hadn't pegged you down as a quitter." Orihime's eyes widened. But before she could say anything Ulquiorra continued.

"Then again, I can understand. Most women usually take work as a back up plan, something they do in the interim while they find themselves a man who can look after them. With someone to look after you, of course there is no need for you to deal with what was probably one of the more difficult things about this job."

To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. Ulquiorra himself was surprised. Why had he mentioned the orange haired man? That had nothing to do with it.

SLAP!

Ulquiorra felt a brief numbness, followed by stinging on his left cheek. When his sight came back to focus, he realized that his entire face was turned sideways. Slowly he looked in front, his eyes falling on the woman. He had never seen her like this. She looked broken yet angry, as if she were standing against the floodgates of her own emotions. She was too angry to speak but Ulquiorra could see her thoughts clearly in her eyes.

How dare he?! How could he make such horrible assumptions about her.

He agreed that he had crossed the line. This has nothing to do with the woman's love life or even life goals. But no matter how crazy or trippy or naïve, he did not know Inoue Orihime to be a quitter. In fact she was stupidly stubborn.

Ulquiorra felt at a loss as to what to say and turned around.

"Oh my, oh my… it seems I came a bit late. However as much as I disagree with Cifer sans .. ummm… allegations, lets say; I have to agree Orihime chan. You can't just turn tail and run after making such a mess. After all, you aren't the type to run away from difficulty anyways right?" Urahara stood at the entrance of Orihime's office, giving her a knowing look.

"But I wasn't running away! I am willing to accept the full consequences of my actions! I presumed I would be fired or asked to leave and I am.."

"Orihime chan.. why would you assume that I or Aizen would fire you?" Ulquiorra was surprised to see a hint of annoyance in Urahara's voice. Orihime picked it up too, as he could see her shrink back, looking genuinely confused.

Urahara sighed. "The blame rests as much on Cifer san's shoulder as it does on yours, Orihime chan." Then he turned to give Ulquiorra a disappointed look.

"Cifer san, did it ever occur to you why Aizen and I would ask you to work with another person on something you were easily capable of doing yourself? Or why Aizen would send his right hand man, someone he has been mentoring as a future CEO of Aizen Corp, all the way to Tokyo to do work that could easily have been done in New York? After all, Yamamoto has Kyoraku san in New York, who is the second in command. Surely you could have presented the proposal to him and his word would be as good as Yamamoto's."

When Ulquiorra looked as confused as Orihime, Urahara sighed and continued.

"Although you are clearly one of the best people we have ever had work for us Cifer san, Aizen and I felt that you lacked but one significant quality to become the leader we both expect you to become. You lack the ability to work well with other people. It's not unnatural. You are significantly more efficient and have a much more disciplined work ethic. In the past projects where you did work with a team, you mostly gave orders and divided work in ways that would suit and play to peoples' strength and weakness. However a leader doesn't just use his employees. He works with them and for them. You were sent here to work with Orihime chan to learn that important lesson."

"I am sorry, I don't quite follow. How was Inoue san supposed to teach me this important lesson in leadership when she herself is incapable of delegating basic responsibilities to those under her command?" Ulquiorra asked as flatly as ever. Orihime shot him an annoyed look. Urahara sighed again.

"Well, it was more that we thought you might be able to learn from each other. You see, unlike you, Inoue san thinks solely of other people and how to best work for them. However just as your obsession with rationality hinders you from working with people, so does her obsession with feelings."

Urahara glanced from Ulquiorra to Orihime, both of whom had expressions that showed that they thought this was a rather lame excuse. "Oh my.. it seems you both do have something in common. Now, Orihime chan, I cannot stop you from quitting. However, I am sorry to say, that will not change Cifer sans fate. Although Aizen is rather partial to him so…"

"I am not quitting." Orihime interrupted the blond haired man. Both men looked at her with slight surprise in their eyes.

"Errr… Orihime chan… I don't quite.."

"We will get the client back! Thank you Urahara san for thinking so much about my and Cifer san's well being. And sorry that we disappointed you. In order to prove that we are both terribly sorry, and make up for going against your wishes and not working together, I promise that we will convince USJF to consider… no… give Aizen Corp this contract!"

Was that a fist pump?! Ulquiorra sweat dropped. However he was stunned in equal measure. He had thought that Urahara's vapid story would get Orihime to not quit, however getting back the client? Not that it was impossible. Yamamoto would never budge, but his assistant director, Kyoraku Shunsui was a far more forgiving man. That, and he had a fairly good hold over Yamamoto.

"I second Inoue san. We'll get the client back." Ulquiorra said and immediately felt his chest constrict as Orihime shot him the most brilliant smile he had ever seen.

"Hmmm, this is unexpected. I'll have to check with Sousuke. Mind you… he might not agree." Urahara tried to sound grim, but his voice betrayed the obvious glee he displayed while plotting something. Orihime felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Thank you Urahara san!" she gushed anyways.

"No no Orihime chan. The pleasure is all mine. I'll let you both know if Sousuke agrees to this." With that the blond man left the room.

"Thank you, Cifer san." Orihime flashed Ulquiorra another brilliant smile. The man gave her a curt nod and stiffly turned around to walk away. _He is surprisingly a softie, huh?_ A small smile played on Orihime's lips.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you want to do for dinner Inoue" Ichigo asked, as he walked along with Orihime in Takeshita dori in Harajuku. Ichigo has picked up Orihime after work again, asking her if she wanted to have dinner. She had briefly wondered about this sudden attention and if maybe it was because Ichigo himself might have been facing some problems. But after her outburst the previous day it made sense that Ichigo would keep a close watch on her lest she kill herself.<p>

"Umm… how about ramen, Kurosaki kun?"

"That sounds awesome. I have just the place in mind!"

Ichigo quickly led them to a small ramen shop. It was quite cozy but they managed to find seats in the back. The ramen shop was surprisingly well designed, with wooden walls and furniture and soft yellow lighting. It was not as loud as typical ramen shops, but had enough noise to mask conversations from nearby people.

After Ichigo and Orihime ordered, Ichigo cleared his throat.

"So, Inoue, how are you doing now?"

_So he WAS concerned. How sweet!_

"Uh, I am much much muuuuucccch better Kurosaki kun!"

Instantly Ichigo's mood lightened. This sounded like the typical Orihime he knew.

"That's great! So what happened?"

"Well, turns out Aizen wanted me and batman..I mean Cifer san to work well together, but we botched it up. So we both decided to work together and get the client back!"

"Hmm, so batman is now Cifer san huh?" Although the statement was obviously made in jest, Orihime felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Umm, he isn't so bad after all, batman that is."

Ichigo cocked a brow.

"I mean… he is always expressionless and doesn't talk to anyone. And he is extremely good, like genius level good. So I think he operates on a different plane from us mortal people. And although he was mean to me in the beginning, he actually supported me in his own, weird way. So I think he isn't such a bad guy. But he probably intimidates people with that look." Orihime made a typically emotionless Ulquiorra face, with totally straight eyebrows. Ichigo burst out laughing at this.

"Ahahahaha, sounds like a character. Maybe he is in the closet or something." He said conspirationally.

"Oh I don't think so. I mean he is small, but he is extremely manly…" Orihime stopped when she noticed that Ichigo's gaze had become alert. _Oh no. He is going to get protective again! But I don't like Ulquiorra like that! I think…_

To Orihime's surprise, Ichigo changed the subject.

"So I hung out with Rukia today and she told me you are seeing Byakuya?"

Orihime spluttered in her glass of water.

"Err… Yes, my aunt arranged an omiai. And turns out it was Kuchiki san! I mean what are the odds.."

"Are you OK with this Orihime? I know your aunt paid for your high school studies, but asking you to marry outside your will is a bit.."

"No, its OK. I mean, frankly I don't know if it is, but I mean, I didn't just meet Kuchiki san because I felt obligated to my aunt."

"Don't tell me you held a candle for that statue too! Almost EVERY female friend Rukia has had since middle school had a crush on him… I thought you seemed quite uninterested.."

"No no! I didn't have a crush on him or anything. I just… I didn't even know it was him. It's just that, I mean I am almost 25 years old. Its about time for me to settle down, so… anyways enough about me! Uh… How is Senna chan? I haven't seen her in a bit…"

"I haven't met her for a while. Don't change the topic Inoue. Why are you seeing Byakuya and considering marrying him when you don't even love him?! Clearly you are not so old that you have to marry a stuffy widower who is ten years your senior?!"

"Kurosaki kun! Please don't talk about Kuchiki san in this manner! And anyways, why are you suddenly asking me these things? You have never shown any interest in my romantic life before."

Orihime felt a bit agitated that Ichigo was making assumptions about her and Byakuya's relationship. Sure, she didn't love him yet. But she could clearly feel the kiss and she had genuinely enjoyed her time with him. What's more, he had actually treated her like a woman, something Ichigo had never done. Maybe her fate was not to find love and then marry but marry and then find love? Either way, somehow Ichigo talking about Byakuya in such a callous way affected Orihime more than she had expected.

"Why?! Inoue, I don't want you to marry and live your life in the shadow of some boring man and his stuffy family?! And shouldn't the reason be obvious?"

"No, Kurosaki kun, it isn't obvious. Why are you suddenly trying to interfere in my love life?!"

"Why are marrying someone you don't even love?!"

"Why do you plan to leave for the US to do medicine?"

"That has nothing to do with this Inoue. Going to the US to study medicine has been my dream for a long time."

"Well, technically, who I marry is none of your business either Kurosaki kun." Orihime looked at Ichigo sternly.

"It IS my business!" Ichigo thundered. Some people cast a nervous glance in their direction.

"If that is the case, will you stay back in Japan and stop me from becoming an obedient housewife to a widowed nobleman?!"

A look of deep turmoil crossed Ichigo's features.

"You know I wouldn't give up my dream Inoue. Not for you, not for anyone."

Orihime felt her heart clench painfully. Of course he wouldn't.

"Well, then please don't start something you cannot finish." She whispered. A shocked look came over Ichigo's features, reflected perfectly on Orihime's own face. _What the hell just happened?! Why did I say that?!_

"I understand."

Without another word, Ichigo dropped a few yen on the table, got up and walked out. As she sat there, tears streamed down Orihime's eyes, her heart broken once again.

* * *

><p>"Aizen will give you both another chance. But he insists that you both go to New York and work from there. This will allow you both to do some on site search and also familiarize yourself with Kyoraku san." Urahara said. He had called Orihime and Ulquiorra in his office the first thing in the morning. Apparently Aizen had made up his mind about what to do with the two.<p>

"Oh.." was all Orihime could say. Going to New York? She had never left Japan before.

"Ano… how long will we be in New York?" she asked.

"Well, Cifer san is based in New York. But you will be seconded to the New York office for 5 weeks at a minimum. Aizen has managed to secure another meeting, this time with both Kyoraku san and Yamamoto san at the end of the five weeks. Your paperwork has also been submitted for expedited visa. I would say you guys should plan to leave by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! But that's too sudden Urahara san.." but Urahara stopped Orihime.

"That is not all. Although Aizen was willing to overlook what happened last time, securing another meeting with Yamamoto is a considerable risk. Therefore, if you fail, you will be demoted Orihime chan. And since Cifer san is the lead for this project, failure to win the contract will result in instant termination of employment. I am sorry Cifer san. Since Orihime chan works under me, I have some control over her fate. But since you report directly to Aizen, I will be helpless to do anything if you both were to fail."

Orihime blanched.

"Of course, when you want to go to New York is upto you Orihime chan. However if I were you, I would get down to work as soon as possible. Now if we are done here, I would like to get back to my work." Urahara said with finality.

As they left the room, Orihime looked at Ulquiorra apologetically.

"I am really sorry Cifer san. It seems because of me you keep encountering trouble.."

"Aizen sama's penalty seems fair. If we loose the contract again it will result in terrible loss of face for his company. If you have time to stand here and apologize, I suggest that you start preparing. Your documents will be ready with HR by today evening. I would like to leave tomorrow. Once I have the flights booked, I'll send you the itinerary, but prepare to leave tomorrow morning. It's a long flight." With that Ulquiorra walked away.

"Right. Of course…boss." Orihime shook her head and walked to her cubicle. Strangely this chance to get away could not have arrived at a better time. She hadn't had a chance to meet with Byakuya (was practically avoiding it actually) after that kiss. And now things were bound to be super awkward between her and Ichigo. Yeah, maybe going away so soon wouldn't be so bad after all.

She didn't want to see either Ichigo or Byakuya now that her feelings were so unclear to her. Why had she minded when Ichigo had pointed the obvious? Was she hoping that him confronting her about Byakuya somehow meant that he had feelings for her? But what about Byakuya? Why had he kissed her? And more importantly did she really mind? One thing was for sure, Orihime wanted to be away from all of it. From the heartbreak of unrequited love and fears over marriage and future.

So, with her heart still sore from the conversation with Ichigo and her mind jumbled from the kiss with Byakuya, Orihime Inoue left for New York early next morning. The only person she informed was Kuchiki Rukia.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I promise I dont dislike Ichigo. He comes across as daft here because his ignorance of Orihime's crush plus how he asks his friends to stay back while he fights indicates that Ichigo can be incredibly dense. But he is also incredibly determined. Orihime, Ichigo, Ulquiorra and Byakuya are my four most favourite characters from Bleach the the pairings above my favourite ships. So, while they will all make stupid choices (don't we all), I don't plan to make anyone the bad guy. But... lets just say... things will heat up from now on.<strong>


	7. Beginning of something

**AN: Here is the next chapter. I debated about cutting this into two chapters, given that this is practically the biggest chapter I have uploaded, and packs in quite a bit. However then I decided.. nah! I like reading long updates, so I ll just let it be. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, things move a lot quicker from this chapter on, mostly because the last few chapters were setting the stage especially the first three. This chapter is mainly UlquiHime. AND there are mature situations so if you feel uncomfortable reading that kind of stuff, be warned. I WILL warn you guys in case a chapter has mature situations (this can range from something controversial to simply mild sexual content) or lemons (which is pretty self explanatory). **

**I just wanted to say a special thank you to my reviewers, especially Guest, Pheecat, Kyon sama and yuli2401. Last week was a bit tough for me in terms of writing out these chapters. I lacked motivation and wondered why I was doing this, and realized that when you write it helps to know that someone out there has read you and responded. So their consistent reviews really lifted my spirits. So did the reviews of Ethreal, 2kade and chunk-le. Thank you guys, for I am back on track and not uninspired. I dont like leaving stories unfinished and I really want to develop this one well as its far from done. ;) **

**Disclaimer: TK created these characters. I created the plot and AU so that they can love and not fight. ;) **

**Chapter 7**

Although Orihime was used to bright lights and huge crowds, she found New York both familiar and yet very very strange. As their flight arrived into JFK International Airport, Orihime could hear her heart beat loudly. She looked around anxiously as she and Ulquiorra got into a yellow cab. Aizen Corp's office was in midtown, so she would be staying in a hotel near Lincoln Centre, which wasn't very far. Orihime watched wide eyed as she saw people of every shape and color walk in all kinds of outfits.

Tokyo had its own subculture may it be the harajuku girls or gyaru. However the variations of people in New York seemed to not follow any particular trend. It was as if they had woken up, decided they wanted to wear leather pants and kimono style jackets with bandana and had done just that because they could. It felt absolutely and completely… free.

As Orihime stared outside the cab window wide eyed, Ulquiorra made quick calls to his landlady and some other places. Orihime would get a smaller office linked to Ulquiorra's bigger office in order to ensure that they could focus on work and Ulquiorra was making sure that preparations were underway so that they could start working the very next day.

As they arrived at their destination, Orihime took in the sights around her. Lincoln Centre area was quite a nice blend of both the shiny and noisy midtown and the more quiet parts of the city she had passed.

"I ll take your bags to the concierge Inoue san. It's about 3 PM now so I suggest that you take a shower and rest. I'll pick you up for dinner at 7 PM. Would that work?"

"Huh?" Orihime was still a bit dazed to realize that Ulquiorra had done the planning for her.

"oh yes! Thanks Cifer san. I ll see you at 7 then."

Ulquiorra looked at the wide-eyed woman carefully. She had obviously not processed a single word he had said. He sighed, and decided to walk her into the hotel and check her in. He wasn't sure if she spoke any English at all.

Once done he asked the desk for a second key. Then had water, tea and some snacks sent to her room in case she got hungry, and told her to not wander outside as she didn't have a phone. She seemed more focused now and nodded gratefully at Ulquiorra. She did speak some English, but she seemed frightened of using it, mostly due to her accent.

* * *

><p>After Ulquiorra had left, Orihime made herself comfortable in her room. It offered a brilliant view of the Manhattan skyline, and before she knew an hour had passed and she still wasn't sure she had had her fill of it. Realizing the time, she decided to take a quick nap, shower then get ready.<p>

However the happenings of the last few weeks had left her completely exhausted and she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. When she woke up, she realized that it was already 6:30 PM. _Oh crap! Batman will kill me!_

She sprinted to the shower, only to realize that her hair was greasy. Oh great, now she would have to wash her hair too. With amazing speed, Orihime showered, washed her hair, wrapped a towel around her and sprinted outside. _Oh great! I didn't unpack._

She threw open her suitcase and started rummaging for her clothing, throwing the towel covering her head on one side as the towel around her body now lay precariously wrapped around her, held in place only by her hand.

CLICK.

In her shocked state Orihime's hand left her towel. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. The towel was floating lower and lower, and Ulquiorra's eyes grew wider with every falling inch. Orihime's left hand shot at her now completely bare chest while her right hand caught the towel just below her belly button in what was otherwise an impressive display of reflexes. And then an ear splitting scream left her throat before she could stop herself.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!"

"Shit!" was all Ulquiorra said before he quickly closed the door.

Orihime stared at the door, trying to believe that it had just been a dream. It might have been as there was no trace of Ulquiorra. It was as if he had never seen her half naked.

"I will be waiting downstairs Inoue san." Came a crisp voice before she heard footsteps retreating on the other side of the door. Oh it had been real all right. Orihime's face turned bright red. In all of the twenty-four years and some months in her life, no one except presumably her parents and then Sora had seen her naked. How was she EVER going to face Ulquiorra now, much less work together with him in the same space?! Orihime took a deep breath in. Now was not the time to get flustered. She looked at the watch again. It still flashed 6:30 PM. Of course, the watch didn't work. Ulquiorra must have waited for her and then decided to get her, worried that she might still be confused about the time difference.

Had it not ended so badly for both of them, it was a very thoughtful gesture. But when it came to Ulquiorra, Orihime was realizing that there was a lot more underneath the stoic, staid surface of his. Realizing that she might have already been late, Orihime picked herself up and got ready.

* * *

><p>Of course, despite her resolve, things had been awkward, to say the least. For one, the moment Orihime had met Ulquiorra downstairs, in an unguarded moment his eyes had gone to her chest. Then as if confirming her thoughts, his eyes had resolutely avoided looking at her chest or the general area under her chin the entire time they made their way through the various streets and avenues.<p>

If New York was lively during the day, it was a sight to behold at night. Bright lights and loud noises assaulted Orihime's senses. She again got the same familiar yet new feeling which created a sense of nostalgia that didn't make any sense. It was like the city was speaking with her, welcoming her in its boisterous embrace.

"The restaurant is just off the corner." Ulquiorra was playing guide to her, telling her little snippets of information about every place they walked through.

Orihime had always read on those womens' magazines and blogs how travelling and going to a new place could give you a sense of freedom and much needed disconnect, especially from boy issues (because seriously MOST of what these magazines talked about were boy issues). But she understood it fully for the first time. Here on the other side of the world, walking in a foreign city where she could barely understand the language and the characters dancing from billboards could as well have been drawings, walking next to Ulquiorra as he told her about New York; Orihime felt far away from her worries, as if they had happened in a previous life to another person. She revelled in the sensations.

They soon arrived at an unassuming eatery that served ramen.

"This is the best ramen place in New York. Better than most in Japan actually." Ulquiorra filled her in. Orihime would have loved to try some more, 'New York' food, but she felt a bit tired, with the long flight already taking a toll on her. Ramen sounded wonderful.

As they made their way into the shop Orihime saw Ulquiorra nod at someone. She followed his gaze only to see two of the tallest, most good-looking people she had ever seen. The man was lean and muscular and well over a head taller than Ulquiorra. He had blue hair held in place through tons of hair gel. The woman, also taller than Ulquiorra had a gorgeous face and a body that could easily put Orihime's to shame. She had long billowy turquoise hair and upon closer inspection a light pink tattoo across her nose.

"Ulquiiii" she squealed in an uncharacteristically childish tone and threw herself on Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra muffled something about her blocking his blood circulation, but it took the blue haired man's coaxing for the woman to finally let go of Ulquiorra. Orihime felt a strange pang of annoyance at this.

"Inoue san these two are my friend Grimmjow and Nel. They insisted that I eat with them and I thought I could show you another sight this city is famous for, strange people." Ulquiorra said flatly.

" Heh, look what emo brought back from Japan, a hot little princess. . About damn time I say. But aren't you aiming a bit too high dude. She is way out of your league." The blue haired man called Grimmjow guffawed, showing a wide set of canines that gave him a strangely animalistic appearance. Orihime's eyes widened. He spoke perfect Japanese.

"Although they'll bother us, you can simply ignore them. They don't speak much sense anyways…" Ulquiorra supplied nonchalantly.

"Umm… Hi, I am Inoue Orihime. I work with Cifer san.."

"She is so cute Ulqui! No wonder you are thinking of cheating on me with her." The woman called Nel pouted.

Ulquiorra was dating the hot model like woman?! Orihime blanched. Ulquiorra simply rolled his eyes and directed them to take their seats.

"So, did you know that emo here is a nerd and a virgin? Just telling you in case you are fooled by that cool cat act of his. So don't be surprised if he is a bit… umm, underwhelming in that department, if you know what I mean" Grimmjow smirked and winked at Orihime.

"Grimmjow, would you cease your mindless and vulgar babble? You are making the woman uncomfortable." Ulquiorra looked utterly indifferent.

"Ya ya, whatever. Don't think I don't know how your dirty mind works ya perv. Just helping the nice lady here be aware of all the creeps. What with it being a new city and all for her."

"Oh Grimmy, shut up! So, how did you two meet?" Nel chimed in.

"Ano… I am not,.. dd..dating Ul.. Cifer san. I don't know why you seem so OK about it, but we are strictly coworkers so you need not worry." Orihime felt a bit confused about why Nel seemed so OK with the idea of her boyfriend cheating on her. _And seriously, how IS Ulquiorra dating such a knock out?! Not that he couldn't.. he is pretty damn hot himself…whats with the "pretty damn" before hot? Don't tell me you are salivating after another dude! Bad Orihime!_

A strange look crossed Nel's face, somewhere between the typical Urahara scheming look, and a look of utter amusement.

"She goes around, if ya know what I mean." But before Grimmjow could explain further Nel flicked him on his head.

"I don't! I am still saving myself for Ulqui. Right Ulqui?"

"Don't bother. I am not interested." Ulquiorra drawled. Orihime looked at the exchange, completely amused. She had never seen this side of Ulquiorra. Even though he appeared even colder to the point of being absolutely rude around these two people, she could tell that he was incredibly comfortable with them. His words weren't guarded and he openly snapped at them. On their part, the two people in front of him were pretty laid back and unrestrained in their leg pulling, paying special attention to Ulquiorra.

Orihime smiled. Genuine friends would always keep one grounded. Just like Rukia kept her grounded, but in a different way.

As the night went on, the four of them chatted freely, and Orihime was amazed at how easily Grimmjow, Nel and Ulquiorra had let her in their own circle. She found out that both Grimmjow and Nel were models (now that wasn't a surprise), and lived near Ulquiorra. They had met through one of Ulquiorra's work colleagues, Szayel, who was good friends with Nel's now ex boyfriend called Nnoitra something. Although neither of them spoke much with these Szayel and nnoitra people (Nel made a particularly annoyed grimace every time Nnoitra's name was mentioned), somehow the three of them had hit it off really well.

As it got closer to 11, Nel insisted that they head to a nightclub. But Ulquiorra firmly motioned Orihime out, stating that they needed to work tomorrow and Orihime was tired. So they would need to head back now.

Nel pouted so pitifully that Orihime promised that once she had adjusted to the time difference she would definitely go to this club with them. This calmed the turquoise haired woman down and they went their separate ways. The night was still young and Orihime could see many people had just started their night time activities. She smiled at the energy around her. She felt that if she breathed in this air long enough maybe it would infuse itself with her body, taking away all her worries.

She glanced at Ulquiorra who was walking with her to her hotel. He had insisted on escorting her back, saying that it was on the way to his home. Apparently he lived pretty close to her hotel. As a soft wind blew into a fall night air, Orihime mused at how much New York suited Ulquiorra.

His unassuming yet graceful form, pastel clothes and pale skin stood in stark contrast to the vibrant city around him. Yet he cut an impressive figure, looking very much like one of the modern art installations you could see in street corners here. The slightly chilly air softly mussed his dark locks while the lights cast a slight glow on his face, giving him an otherworldly appearance.

Orihime had never seen Ulquiorra at night. But now that she had she felt her throat clench and her heart thud. He was overall a very attractive guy. However surrounded by this foreign yet familiar city, illuminated in neon lights with his hair flying around his face, he was the most beautiful man Orihime had ever seen.

She briefly wondered if the only reason she was becoming to aware of his looks was because her feelings for him were also changing. Before she had been too busy confronting and hating Ulquiorra. However in the last week he had not only defended her, but she felt as if he was watching over her. Not in an obvious way like Ichigo did for his friends. No. Ulquiorra didn't seem the type to ask people if they were fine or offer free hugs.

However he paid attention. He observed and despite what she had heard from Urahara he had an ability to empathize with those he cared for. The way he simply helped her without coming off as over protective, how he anticipated her needs without indicating proved that Ulquiorra was fundamentally a kind person. He just was extremely bad at showing it.

"You are staring again woman."

"Ack! Errr… Sorry!" Orihime blushed.

"Its not an issue. Through my interactions with you I have gathered that you are prone to day dreaming and zoning out. However, we are already at your hotel. You must rest." Then he shoved his hand into his trench coat pocket and took out something. "This is a smart phone. It has a sim card and I already added my number and also that of my secretary, Ichimaru Gin, in case there are any issues. Please check this for time as the watch in your room isn't working."

"Wow, ummm thank you Cifer san."

"No need to thank me. I am supposed to do this as you are my coworker and I am in charge of you until you stay here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must head back home. Good night." And with that he turned around and started walking towards his home.

_Of course, what was I thinking? That Ulquiorra might consider me a friend? He was just doing his job. _

However no matter how many rational explanations she told herself, Orihime could not get rid of that heaviness in her heart. Sighing heavily, she turned around and entered her hotel.

* * *

><p>That Orihime and Ulquiorra might be able to agree and work together was a gross exaggeration and practically delusional on part of Urahara and Aizen. They disagreed on pretty much everything.<p>

It wasn't that they were trying to pick a fight with each other. No. When they had arrived in the office and started discussing possible ideas, they were both hoping to have a vague sense of how to win Yamamoto and USJF back. However within minutes they had started arguing about whose requirements they should prioritize. Orihime insisted that they keep the citizen of New York as a priority and be mindful of Yamamoto's quirks. Ulquiorra thought the opposite. He practically saw no sense in Orihimes argument, given that this is simply an installation. How many people noticed or got affected by some statue they might pass by or park they might walk through every once in a while. Also it wasn't like the sakura plantation would harm the people.

Usually Orihime would not have pressed, and she had told herself to agree with Ulquiorra and that she had learnt her lesson. But she simply could not go against her conscience. And right now what Ulquiorra was suggesting went against her conscience. Not wanting to argue further she suggested they meet mid way. Ulquiorra had agreed and they decided on sticking to the sakura plantation idea, but Orihime argued that simply suggesting it wouldn't be enough as they were looking for the client to forgive them. They would have to go above and beyond. Ulquiorra had agreed to this.

Only for them to disagree on some other aspect of the project the very next day. When they were not bickering, per Ulquiorra's suggestion, they walked around possible NYC spots so Orihime could get a sense of the city. And so they spent their mornings and afternoons touring various neighborhoods, with Ulquiorra giving Orihime a quick run down on each neighborhood. Every once in a while he even added little snippets of information that were obviously his opinion of the neighborhood, which Orihime found very interesting.

Orihime discovered that when they weren't disagreeing, Ulquiorra was actually quite charming. He had a dry sense of humor and he was exceptionally perceptive. His commentary on New York and New Yorkers and the way he noticed things like the gentrification and difference in class in the city had her enraptured every time they went out.

To add to that, he could be strangely thoughtful and sweet. He had taken her to eat at Japanese restaurants the first few days, would not bother her and always took it easier during mid day, knowing that she would be suffering from jet lag then. He wasn't one for opening doors or lifting bags. He didn't even escort her all the way to her hotel once she had figured out where she was. Yet, he remembered that Orihime wanted to try out local food and also somehow remembered that she liked strong flavors. So, he had taken her to try out the best Mexican place in town, then told her that the food was really tex mex than Mexican. He had also taken her to the various bakeries in the city (Orihime had gone absolutely ballistic after tasting a cupcake) and even doughnut joints. Since he never brought anything (only occasionally picking up a treat for Nel and Grimmjow, who strangely had a major sweet tooth) Orihime assumed that he wasn't going to these bakeries out of some undying love for sweets.

On top of that, Orihime realized that since the hotel instance, she had become especially aware of Ulquiorra physically. His hair, which he hadn't cut in the last month and a half she had known him, now reached well below his ears and slightly down his shoulders. Had it always been so silky? On more than one occasion, she found herself tempted to run her hands through it. Also, Orihime had been right the first night. New York suited Ulquiorra. He cut such an impressive figure in his trench coat and clothes that were some hue of black or grey. Also his body possessed a natural grace of someone who had full control of his body. And on the one occasion he had dressed casually (as they were to working off site) and worn a V neck, orihime had noticed that his chest was rather buff for such a lean person.

But probably Ulquiorra's most stunning feature were his emerald green eyes. Now that they were working together for long hours, Orihime realized that it was positively scary to look Ulquiorra in the eyes. Not because he was trying to scare people. But because his eyes were so green, so deep and so intense, that more often than not she would get goosebumps just looking at them for a few seconds. It was like they were holding back an ocean against them. Basically, Orihime found that she ended up avoiding his gaze and staring at him from the corner of her eyes for about 80% of the time they were together.

Even now, almost two weeks later, as they were walking towards the club to meet Nel and Grimmjow (who had already become her "texting buddies" as they called themselves) she couldn't help but admire how hot Ulquiorra looked in his black trench coat, with a green scarf wrapped around his neck.

_Be careful Orihime! Have you not learnt anything from Ichigo and Byakuya?! The hotter they are, the more trouble they spell! Look for the ugly ones. Ignore the green-eyed devil. I repeat, Ignore the green-eyed devil_! Orihime silently reprimanded herself.

"Hiiimmeeeee! Mmmuuuuuaaahh" Nel planted a kiss on Orihime's cheek and grabbed her in a bear hug.

"Hello Nel chan! Good to see you are well!"

"Of course I am well! Oh Ulquiii you look so cute!"

"Yeah emo. You look awesome. The boys will be ALL over you tonight." Grimmjow nudged Ulquiorra playfully. Then he gave a once over to Orihime.

"I must say princess, dressing demurely in the club never looked sexier."

Orihime turned completely red and Ulquiorra took this moment to shove Grimmjow inside the club. "Forgive him Inoue san. Neanderthals like him don't know how to interact with civilized people."

Grimmjow winked at Orihime and went in, followed by Ulquiorra. A bit scared, Orihime followed after them with Nel.

Orihime had been to clubs before… once. Rukia had dragged her on her nineteenth birthday, saying that she should try everything once. However that was with Ichigo and Renji and Ishida and Chad. And between three hulking men (and one very sulky one), Rukia and Orihime had been protected from the roving eyes and hands of the other clubbers. Also the club had seemed fairly somber with mostly teenagers dancing and jumping around.

What she saw here was completely different. Women clad in barely there clothing moved around poles inside some sort of capsules, people weren't just dancing; they were practically gyrating against each other. On several occasions she saw couples (she assumed they were) of all inclinations openly kiss and grope each other. They didn't care that people could see them. Despite being packed completely, each person acted as if they were the only people in the room.

After Orihime's initial shock wore off, she felt her head getting light.

"Hime, you need a drink."

"Ah, no Nel chan. I shouldn't." Orihime screamed over the music.

"Why? It's the weekend tomorrow! Don't tell me Ulqui is making you work on weekends too.."

"Errr… Ano…"

"What?!" Nel looked at Orihime indignantly as if working on weekends was a human rights violation.

"You know what Hime, we'll have to fix that guy. How dare he make you work on weekends when this is your first time in NY!" with that she made her way to Ulquiorra who was sipping on a glass of water, sitting in a corner. Orihime saw as Nel made her way to Ulquiorra, grabbed his head and whispered something in his ears, which made his eyes widen. That was all the distraction she needed, as she practically shoved an entire bottle of whiskey (where had she gotten that?!) into his mouth.

Ulquiorra must have taken more than a few gulps before he choked, shoved her away and started coughing. But Nel was unperturbed. She whispered something in his ears again, standing extremely close to him, which made Orihime's jaw clench. This time he looked a bit annoyed. Grimmjow, who had been watching the exchange while some random girl gyrated to him, took his cue and joined the duo. He went on to say something Orihime couldn't hear.

Miraculously, Ulquiorra gave him one sharp look, grabbed the bottle of whiskey, and emptied it in one go. Orihime stifled a laugh. She had never seen anyone have this much sway over Ulquiorra. Soon the three of them were making their way towards her.

"I'd back off if I were you." Ulquiorra said sternly, looking at some point behind her. Orihime turned around, to notice that a shifty looking man was withdrawing his hand from where her ass would have been.

Turning around she gave Ulquiorra a grateful look. He simply shrugged.

"Its your turn now Hime." Nel said meaningfully.

"Umm… I…"

"Lets do shots!" Grimmjow hollered before she could say anything and soon they were at the bar, with Orihime holding her first shot.

Orihime wasn't a lightweight. Or so she thought. And she had refused to drink after her third shot of what they were calling Jaegerbombs, which was mostly red bull anyways. She figured that since it was some non-alcoholic drink with a bit of alcohol, three shots shouldn't be too bad.

Actually, she loved this stuff. She was already feeling much lighter and the fact that people around her were too engrossed in themselves to care or judge her, made her feel strangely free.

Coming from a society like Japan, and being as affected by and sensitive to other people's feelings as Orihime was, typically meant that Orihime exercised a huge amount of self restraint even without noticing it sometimes. She wasn't into keeping up appearances for appearance sake, however she had a habit of weighing her needs against those of others.

Given that, this wild and free environment made her feel strangely unrestrained. And before she knew it, she was dancing as if she were the only person in the room.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra played with the bottle of beer in his hand as he observed the woman dancing a few feet away from him. He wasn't much for dancing, actually he found the entire notion absurd and in this setting simply akin to a pre mating ritual. Every time he was approached by a girl who tried to gyrate in front of him suggestively, he would throw her a dirty look and turn his body away.<p>

However throughout this, his gaze remained transfixed on Orihime. He had worried that she might be a lightweight, and when Grimmjow had pawned her a Jaegerbomb, convincing her that most of the drink was some sweet energy drink called redbull, he was sure she would be throwing up before the hour was up. Surprisingly Orihime hadn't collapsed. However, Ulquiorra wished she had, as now she was standing in the middle of men who looked like hungry wolves, matching every suggestive dance move of Nel's with her own. At some point, Nel had shrugged her out of her cardigan to reveal a tight tank top, which most likely had no business being worn by itself. Soon after, the density of men around the women had increased. Ulquiorra was waiting for when he would have to go up to them and interrupt. As it were, he had barely made it in time before that shifty man from earlier had grabbed Orihime's ass.

"Dude, stay like this and you'll die a virgin." Grimmjow muttered, uncharacteristically somber.

"Not all of us value our self worth based on our ability to get laid, Grimmjow."

"Ya Ya whatever. I can see it in your eyes. You want that princess. Can't say I blame ya though. With tits like that.."

"As blasé and vulgar as ever I see.." Ulquiorra turned away, more because of the sudden impulse of punch Grimmjow, which surprised him a bit. He was used to Grimmjow's crass language. Heck, he had heard a lot worse come out of his mouth. Why did he want to punch him when he was describing Orihime the same way he described every thing that had two legs and a vagina?

Apparently Grimmjow had noticed this subtle shift too, as his smirk widened.

"Oh my. If you want her that much just make a move on her man. I've seen how she looks at you. No way she'll refuse you. Heck, Nel and I have a bet going on that she'll jump you first."

"What gibberish are you talking Grimmjow. The woman has a suitor already." Ulquiorra scoffed. He couldn't deny that he was drawn to Orihime; something that had happened without him noticing. However there was no way she was interested in him. He had seen how she had practically jumped into the arms of that man she called Kurosaki kun. There was no room in her heart for anyone else.

"Hah, so what if she's got a dude. She ain't married and Nel chats with her practically every day, so according to her credible snooping she doesn't have a boyfriend either. She is a free woman and you are a free man. From where I see it, there's no problem. Worse case; wham, bam, thank you mam." Grimmjow winked.

Ulquiorra shot him a disgusted look. "Cad. You almost sound like Nnoitra." That shut Grimmjow up, for if there was one person Grimmjow did not like, it was Nnoitra.

Grimmjow had been friends with Nelliel from their early days of modeling and had seen how the boyfriend she doted on and adored had consistently abused her. Grimmjow was a free spirit but he would never hurt or abuse a woman.

"That's crossing the line dude." He muttered.

But Ulquiorra was not paying attention anymore. The woman had untied her hair and started matching Nel's extremely suggestive steps, and he could clear see at least one man walking towards her, palms clenching and mouth salivating.

Ulquiorra sighed, gave Grimmjow a quick look and walked towards Orihime. Grimmjow, grasping the situation, followed his friend.

"Ulquiiii! Grimmyyy! You decided to join us!"

"Yeah Nel, but watch out for princess will ya?"

Noticing the two men (especially the towering hulk that was Grimmjow), the man quickly backed away.

"Aaaaah! Batman! You are hereeeee!" Orihime squealed, grabbing Ulquiorra's hands and jumping up and down. For a second, time stopped and Grimmjow and Nels faces became expressionless. Then they both burst out laughing hysterically.

"Oh god! Batman?! Why didn't I come up with this?! This is gold Princess!" Grimmjow said, patting Orihime's back.

"Thank you kitty chan!" Orihime now proceeded to repeat the same gesture with Grimmjow. Now it was Ulquiorra's turn to smirk as Nel practically started howling with laughter.

"Oh god Hime! You are so funny!"

"I am right?! Everyone thinks I am some staid goody two shoes. They don't know the half of it." Orihime pouted with a mischievous look on her face.

Then she grabbed Ulquiorra's hand and started urging him to dance, much to the horror of the green eyed man. He stood absolutely erect, giving her a stern look, which she must have found rather amusing, as she started laughing.

"Oh come on batman, don't be so stuck up! Wont move, will we? Well then I'll just have to make you move." And with that Orihime did what Ulquiorra had never imagined she would do in a million years.

Without so much as a warning, she grabbed both of Ulquiorra's hands, placing them well over her shoulders, slid one of her legs between Ulquiorra's legs and came very close to him, moving her body in a way that would force his body to move too. Suddenly he felt as if he had hit a cushy sofa face first. Her soft curves molded over his hard body, prodding it to move, as she looked him right in his eyes.

With every passing second her cheeks turned rosier till she was practically as red as a tomato. To avoid eye contact, she flipped around and started dancing with her back towards Ulquiorra's body. He wished she hadn't. Her back was dangerously close to his , well.. front. Before the situation could become embarrassing, Ulquiorra backed away, which only prodded Orihime to try crazier moves. It wasn't helping that she was copying them from Nel, who having noticed what was happening, was demonstrating some rather risqué moves, with Grimmjow assisting every once in a while.

"That's enough woman. You are heavily inebriated and you need to get back home. Nel, can you please ensure that.."

"Sorry Ulqui, I am meeting some friends from my agency after. No can do." Nel winked knowingly.

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow, then decided otherwise. He knew Grimmjow wouldn't make a move on a helpless woman, but he reasoned that if Grimmjow could lead her back then so could he. Thinking that, he took Orihime's hand and lead her towards the exit.

* * *

><p>Orihime was having too much fun dancing, but she had noticed several women approach Ulquiorra. Why couldn't they take a hint? The guy didn't want to dance. Yet, when Ulquiorra had come over to Orihime's defense the second time that night, she suddenly felt that she must dance with him. He was wearing a button down shirt and somewhere between the bottle of whiskey and the weird jaegar drink, another one or two buttons had come undone, offering her a fantastic view of his chest. The shirt also clung to his body and when Orihime leaned against him (or was she pressing against him, she couldn't tell), she could feel his hard muscles.<p>

That's when it hit her. She wanted this man. The alcohol had numbed her rational senses enough for her to not question why and to also admit something so embarrassing to herself freely. The closer her got to her, the harder she found it to restrain her beating heart and the tightness building up in her nether regions. As he dragged her out of the club and sat her in the cab, his proximity hit her harder. Away from the sights, sounds and smells of a thousand people screaming and sweating, all her senses were now attuned to Ulquiorra.

She could smell his scent. It was woody and musky. Every outline and contour on his body stood out clearly in her sight. And when he gave directions to the cab driver, she felt a shiver run down her spine at the sound of his husky deep voice. Hell yeah she wanted him!

As if recognizing that it had locked on its goal, her mind started sputtering directions to her, which she acted on without question. So that once they reached her hotel she all but fell flat on the ground. Noticing this Ulquiorra picked her up and dragged her to the concierge. Uh oh… _He is going to ask the concierge to escort me!_

Moments later Ulquiorra asked the concierge (who was a female) to escort her to her room. As if on cue, she clung to him like a panda, and when he tried to extract her, started wailing. Sighing, Ulquiorra tried to loosen her grip on him and started walking towards the elevator. Orihime mostly stayed somber during the elevator ride, but as Ulquiorra unlocked her room, panic seized her heart.

He was going to walk away, and she would never have the courage to stop him without the perfect excuse of alcohol. Without thinking, she whirled around, grabbed Ulquiorra, and planted a sloppy kiss straight on his lips. Except, in her inebriated state, she had managed to slobber all over his lower lip and chin. She cringed inwardly. Oh he would never want her now! Ulquiorra, on his part, was completely stunned. Needless to say he hadn't expected it. When he didn't move away or respond in kind, Orihime gathered her courage and kissed him gently this time. His whole body went stiff before he backed away.

"You are not thinking clearly woman. And I should leave." He said with finality, as he turned around and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Ulquiorra leaned against the door, feeling his heart beat wildly against his rib cage. What the hell had just happened?! Had the woman really kissed him? Did that mean that she did want him? Ulquiorra realized that he hadn't minded the kiss. Actually, he wanted to go further. However despite the realization that he too wanted Orihime Inoue, he couldn't make a move on her. Not when she was so vulnerable.

Suddenly, the door he was leaning on opened, and a very alert looking Orihime was staring at him squarely in the eyes.

"Come inside," her voice was small but strangely steady.

Green eyes widened. "I don't think it is a good idea. You are drunk."

"Not anymore. And why don't you hold your judgment about whether it is a good idea until after tonight."

Now Ulquiorra was completely flabbergasted. "Excus.."

But before he could say further, Orihime pulled him into another kiss, this time with no slobber. Knowing she was at least partly conscious, the last bit of Ulquiorra's restraint snapped and he returned the kiss fully, grabbing her auburn locks in his hand to tilt her head and give him better access to her mouth. Then, pushing the woman inside the room, he locked the door behind them.


	8. New York Minute

**AN: Here is the next chapter guys! I have 2 more written out at this point, but they haven't been edited yet. Also this month is especially crazy for me, with long commutes and lots of things I need to get done before the month is up. So updates might not be every 3 days or so as has been the norm with me. Then again, I write to destress. However I ll try to update every week and forewarn if I cannot. **

**This chapter is one of the few reasons this story has a M rating. Thats right guys! My first lemon! I was extremely nervous writing it, as I have never done anything like this before. So it might be not as good as some of the lemons out on this site. I wanted to send a special shout out to Mahi-Mahi who writes amazing lemons! Also this chapter is MOSTLY lemons, so if thats not your thing, please be warned. As always, read and review.**

**Small Explanation: These characters, especially Orihime, are at a very nascent stage in terms of understanding their feelings for each other. My hope is to bring their feelings to light step by step through plot. Needless to say, I plan to make them take wrong decisions, make mistakes and do things without always thinking it through. Because growing up has made me realize, that a lot of us tend to act without thinking, and our motivations arent always clear to us.**

**Special thanks to ALL my reviewers! You guys are so amazing! I was so pumped and inspired to write more. Also your feedback makes me think about the story and plot points and wonder" Hmmm, should I have explained this better? Should I mention that? ITS AMAZING! Its like you guys are helping me make this story better and I could not be more thankful. You all keep me going. Big hugs!**

**Disclaimer: TK created these characters. I am making sure they actually have love lives. **

**Chapter 8: New York Minute**

Sunlight streamed through the curtains and washed across Orihime's face. She stifled a yawn and turned around. Realizing that it must be late, she got up groggily. That's when it hit her. She had had sex with Ulquiorra Cifer.

Grey eyes widened in shock as she carefully looked around.

No one. She was alone in her hotel room. She sighed. Maybe she had imagined it then. After all she had been pretty drunk. It wasn't unreasonable that her mind had simply manifested one of its needs. Shrugging and feeling slightly disappointed at the possibility that the events of last night were a figment of her imagination, Orihime made a move to get up. Only to realize that last night had not been her imagination AT ALL. For why would her thighs ache and why would her private areas feel strangely sensitive, as if still recovering from too much stimulation?

Orihime felt the heat rise on her face as the events she was considering a dream flashed in front of her eyes. It had finally happened; a few months shy of twenty five, Orihime Inoue had lost her virginity. And not to the man she had claimed to love most of her young and adult life, or even the man who had stolen her first kiss and was her one and only marriage prospect. No, she had lost her virginity to the cause of her angst and pain for the last two months; the annoyingly emotionless, infuriatingly unaffected and absolutely gorgeous, Ulquiorra Cifer.

How had this happened? Well, Orihime wasn't completely shocked it had happened. After all, she was in a new place, far away from the cares of the world. Plus, she was twenty-four and a virgin; one who had been in love since more than a decade. Needless to say, she had always had a healthy amount of curiosity about physical intimacy.

Furthermore, she was attracted to Ulquiorra, despite the fact that they ended up coming to blows whenever they spoke about their opinions of the world. However this attraction felt different to the one she felt for Ichigo or Byakuya. Ichigo had always been her love, a concept that went beyond attraction. But he had never treated her as a woman. On the other hand, her attraction towards Byakuya was coupled with a fair amount of intimidation. While he had always treated her well and with courtesy and even kissed her, she still felt self conscious around him. Ulquiorra was different.

Orihime didn't feel ignored or intimidated by Ulquiorra. Despite the fact that he was her superior, had a habit of being rude and direct and had talked her down several times, she somehow saw him as an equal. Not someone to idolize or respect. In fact, she was sure that if either Ichigo or Byakuya had been in Ulquiorra's place last night, she would have never mustered up the courage to make such a bold move. She had practically seduced Ulquiorra! She couldn't bear to imagine the shock on Ichigo's face or the condescension on Byakuya's face if she tried something similar with them.

But then, what was she doing seducing Ulquiorra? Was she just meeting a physical need? Or was there something more to what had transpired between them? Typically, Orihime was pretty self-aware. However her emotions had been in an over-drive, having only calmed when she came to New York. Furthermore, she felt a sense of comfort around Ulquiorra, that made her voice her thoughts out loud, including, it would seem, her long suppressed physical needs. So much so, that she didn't think last nights actions were purely a result of too much alcohol (on another note, she was never trusting Grimmjow again with his 'suggestions'). No, she was inebriated, but she knew she wanted Ulquiorra. And she felt all right not knowing why.

She had heard it from several female acquaintances and even read in magazines about how women would keep looking for ages and not a single guy would be there and yet, the minute they turned their head around, a bunch of them would walk into their lives. Well, it was true.

After twenty-four dry loveless years filled with painful pining, Orihime was suddenly finding herself at the center of the attentions and affections of three extremely worthy men. And she wasn't sure what she felt or what she wanted to do. What she did know though, was that she did not regret last night or Ulquiorra being her first.

Change that. She had thoroughly enjoyed last night. Despite Grimmjow's claims that Ulquiorra was a virgin, he was extremely self-assured. He had also been very gentle… at least in the beginning. Also, despite being on the smaller side, he was incredibly muscular, as if every inch of his body was packed with tight sinews. And it helped that he was… fairly big there (or so Orihime assumed. Not that she had a comparison group. But he had felt pretty big and her innards were still sore..).

However, whether she liked it or she felt something more than lust for Ulquiorra, his absence the morning after was a rude reminder that before untangling her feelings she might have wanted to understand what Ulquiorra felt for her. Maybe he had left because he didn't really care for her. Yet what man would turn down a woman who threw herself at him? The thought made Orihime extremely sad.

CLICK.

"Ack!" Orihime jumped out of the sheets as Ulquiorra walked into her hotel room. Then realizing that she was completely naked, she squealed again and jumped right back in. Ulquiorra rolled his eyes at this comical display. Did the woman forget that there was little he hadn't seen of her by now?

"Ah, ..C..cifer"

"You can call me Ulquiorra woman. I suppose last nights… activities, warrant at least that much intimacy." Orihime was surprised to see a very slight pink dusting Ulquiorra's cheeks. _Oh my god, the world must be coming to an end. Ulquiorra Cifer just blushed!_

"Umm,,. Ul..Ulquiorra… where were you.."

"I went to get us some breakfast. " He put down some packages on the coffee table. Orihime wrapped the bed sheet around her and walked to the table nimbly.

Inside the packages were different kinds of bread. There was one that looked like a donut but much harder, with some white substance in between two slices. Then another donut like bread with egg and cheese in the middle. She examined them curiously.

"The white thing is cream cheese. New York is famous for their bagels and egg sandwiches. The other one is an egg and cheese sandwich using bagel bread. Help yourself." He then busied himself with making them some coffee.

Orihime stared at him blankly. How? How could he always remain so unperturbed? Till a few weeks ago they hadn't even see eye to eye and yet a few hours ago, they had been more intimate with each other than they had ever been with anyone else. And here he was, brining breakfast and making coffee like the last night's events were a normal day to day happening.

Orihime shrugged and began chewing the bagel with cream cheese. Realizing that it tasted amazing, she gobbled it down and then made her way to the egg sandwich. Which she finished in less than a minute too.

Ulquiorra watched her completely amused. So he had been right. All the food went into her chest. He smirked as Orihime looked expectantly at his bagels.

"You can have some." He supplied, placing her coffee in front of her as he sat down with his cup. He wasn't much for eating heavy stuff anyways. He usually had protein shakes or oatmeal in the morning, but he thought given Orihime's love for food she would hardly find these choices appealing.

Like a child who had gotten approval to eat more candy, Orihime made way for his bagel with cream cheese and gobbled that up too. Ulquiorra found it amusing that she now had cream cheese stuck all around her mouth.

Without thinking, he bent over and licked it. The woman froze.

"Umm.. Ul..Ulquiorra?"

"Yes woman?"

"Wh..wh..what are you doing?"

"Making sure the cream cheese doesn't go to waste. Mmmm its pretty good."

Orihime turned bright red at this. Ulquiorra smirked openly now.

" It seems that wasn't the answer you were expecting."

"I.. I don't know what you mean. " Orihime looked at him defiantly. So he was going to play dirty huh? Well, two could play the game. Looking straight into his eyes, Orihime stood up; sans the bed sheet. Then she turned around (mostly to hide her now completely red face) and walked calmly towards the bed. When her heartbeat had calmed down, she turned and faced Ulquiorra, whose mouth was half open, frozen from when he was trying to eat his egg sandwich. The sandwich lay forgotten in his hand. Orihime giggled.

Realizing what she was doing, Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he placed his food down. Then, slowly he walked towards the woman, drinking in the sight of her naked body. God, she was beautiful.

Orihime trembled. The way Ulquiorra was looking at her, drinking in every inch with his roving eye, was both intimidating and exciting at the same time. She felt her knees shudder. However she couldn't give up, not so easily, and not now. She knew Ulquiorra was trying to embarrass her. But she would have none of that.

As he closed in on her, Orihime pulled him by his pants and traced the lining of his semi-hardened member. She felt irritation rise inside her. There she was, completely naked right in front of him. And he wasn't even properly aroused? She'd have to modify that. She made lazy circles over his pants where his member lay, teasing it back to life. Then without warning, she flicked her hair and walked away.

Only to be intercepted by Ulquiorra a few steps ahead.

"Not so fast. What do you think you are doing?"

Orihime looked into his hungry eyes innocently. "Why, nothing Ulqui.. Just getting my clothes."

"You don't need them." His voice was almost a growl now. Orihime smirked. _Orihime 1: Ulquiorra:0_

"And why is that?" she raised her brow.

Ulquiorra turned her around, pulling her close to him. Then he bent down, taking one pink nipple in his mouth and giving it a slight nip.

"Because.." he said, his breath fanning her bare breast, "I am not done with you yet."

* * *

><p>An hour later, they both lay spent on the bed, their lovemaking no more a myth for Orihime. That was it. She had done it with Ulquiorra Cifer, again. Actually, she had seduced him again. Orihime smirked. "Orihime:2: Ulquiorra:0"<p>

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing. Just keeping score." She winked at him.

Ulquiorra propped himself on his elbow and looked at the Orihime sternly.

"Score? Explain woman."

"Ah, nothing. It's just that, this is the second time I seduced you. Maybe Grimmjow was right. You must be a nerdy virgin to fall for such weak techniques." She showed him her tongue.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. The woman was getting sassy again huh? That could only mean one thing.

Without warning he propped up on his knees and lifted Orihime effortlessly into his arms, then slid his arms down, grabbing her at her ass and lifting it much higher, so that the rest of her body went out of balance, falling backwards.

"Ack! Ulquiorra! What do you think you are.." But Orihime never finished the sentence. She looked up to where Ulquiorra was holding her lower body, his head between her thighs. With a smug smirk, he gave her butt one hard squeeze before burying his face between her folds.

"Aaaaaaahh! Oh gg..goooooooodddddd!" Orihime didn't know what he was doing but she had never been so embarrassed in her life. She could feel his breath on her folds, then slight flicks of his tongue and after teasing her like that for about five minutes, he was practically suckling her. Orihime screamed again as she felt a knot in her stomach. That shady bastard. She would teach him. But before she could think any further, her orgasm hit her hard, and she almost blacked out for a minute.

However Ulquiorra did not relent, now teasing her clitoris with his tongue. Orihime shuddered. If he kept doing this she would go mad.

"Ul..Ulquiorra…please..aaah,…st..stop!" And just like that, he stopped.

"Aaah, ah, huh? Wh..why did you stop?"

"Because you asked me to, woman."

"Ah, I meant… I meant.."Orihime turned red.

"You meant what." Ulquiorra smirked. Who was winning now?

Orihime shot him a look. He was being completely unfair. Kissing and walking naked was one thing. What he was doing.. was quite another. Then an idea crossed her mind. This would take a lot of resolve.

"I… I meant that I want you inside me instead." She whispered, turning completely red. Watching porn could delude one into thinking that talking dirty was easy. Well, Orihime was finding out that it wasn't.

However it had the desired effect. Ulquiorra's eyes widened and for a moment it looked like he would relent. But then his eyes narrowed.

"I'll be inside you, once I have you ready. So don't worry… Orihime.." he slurred the last bit in his seductive voice, sending tingling sensations down Orihime's spine and without further ado, his lips were on her folds again.

If he had been strong before, he was absolutely relentless now. As he abused Orihime's slick folds, sucking on her clitoris with maddening urgency, Orihime lost track of the times she came. It all molded into one long never-ending orgasm. Her throat hurt. Had she been screaming? Her vision had completely blacked out and the position in which Ulquiorra had held her for a while now, with her head and upper body angled up by her ass, had driven all other sensations from her body, except for sweet sensations he was giving her.

Suddenly, mid-orgasm, Orihime felt her body descend a bit lower. Seconds later she felt her inner walls stretch as Ulquiorra entered her in one long fluid motion.

"Aaagghh!" Due to the abuse earlier, she was extremely sensitive and noticed every inch of him enter and fill her up and her walls clenched around his member. But he did not give her time to recover and started moving almost immediately, gaining momentum with every thrust.

As Orihime wailed and screamed wantonly, he gathered her in his arms, taking one of her nipples in his mouth, chewing and suckling on it, as he rocked her hard and fast against his member.

Orihime's entire body was filled with goose bumps. Nerdy virgin?! Either he had been watching some really risqué porn, or the guy was born a sex god! What the hell was he doing to her body? Orihime felt like a ragdoll as for the next hour Ulquiorra kept adjusting her body effortlessly to give him better access or when he needed more leverage to pound into her. She was soon loosing track of time, her orgasms and pretty much everything else, till Ulquiorra filled all her thoughts and sensations. It was as if nothing beyond him existed in the world and Orihime sighed as her body convulsed in yet another orgasm.

When she recovered from the last orgasm, her other senses were slowly coming back to life and she could hear the loud raspy croak that was supposed to be her voice, coupled with deep groans coming from Ulquiorra, mixed with the sounds of their sweaty bodies slapping against each other as the bed beneath them creaked painfully. Her nose picked up the overpowering smell of sex that washed her room now.

After what seemed like an eternity of merciless pounding, she felt Ulquiorra stiffen and come inside her. As if on cue, they both collapsed into the sheets, too tired and satiated to speak or move.

* * *

><p>Maybe this is how virgins acted when they did it the first time? Or maybe he and the woman were like rabbits in heat. Either ways, as Ulquiorra slid out of Orihime one more time, completely spent, he was loosing track of time. He looked at his phone. 7 PM. They had spent the entire day making love! Or were they just having sex? Ulquiorra felt soreness in his muscles and his member was practically in pain now.<p>

He didn't know what it was about this woman, but every time they climaxed together, he told himself to get up. Yet each of those times he would find that they were entangled and soon making love almost frantically.

"We should get something to eat." He said, his voice hoarse. It felt strange to talk after hours of silence peppered with grunting.

"mmmm…" When Orihime made no move to get up, Ulquiorra prodded her.

"Get up woman. We haven't eaten since breakfast."

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra groggily. Her eyes were still unfocussed and her face was still pink from the lovemaking. Her hair clung to the side of her face in sweaty streaks and her flushed body glistened with sweat and in parts his cum.

Ulquiorra felt himself harden once again. Shit! He needed to stop. He HAD to stop. They needed to get something to eat first. But his member only throbbed more painfully.

Orihime looked at it and smiled. "Mmmmmmm, guess not huh?"

"We are going out and getting food", Ulquiorra said with a resolve that he barely felt, as Orihime yawned and stretched again.

"We'll see about that." Then she started moving her hands along the line of his abs and obliques, clearly in no mood to eat or sleep for that matter. The woman was insatiable!

"Orihime.."

"Mmmm, Ulqui I want you…"

_Ugh!_ Ulquiorra cursed the fact that he was a man and so easily swayed by his penis. He stopped her hands.

"Orihime we should eat. And as… fun.. as this has been, don't you think we should talk?"

"Talk about what?" She seemed a bit annoyed at being disturbed.

"Well, for starters, what about your boyfriend?"

"Huh? I have a boyfriend?" So Nel and Grimmjow were correct. The woman was unattached. But this did not put Ulquiorra at ease.

"The orange haired ape that looks like a delinquent"

"Kurosaki kun is NOT a delinquent! And he isn't my boyfriend!"

"So he is an ape then.."

"NOOO!"

"So what is this woman?" Ulquiorra changed the topic.

"Ano..What do you mean?" Orihime shifted uncomfortably, trying to get up but failing. Her body was way too sore and her innards still throbbing, missing the sensation of Ulquiorra's member in it.

"This between us…" Ulquiorra looked at her meaningfully. Oh god! Were they going to have the talk now?

"Ummm.."

"You did seduce me. I hope you plan to take responsibility woman." He said with a slight smirk.

"What?! Ah… umm… I … you … you want me to marry you?"

"Are you a fool woman?" Ulquiorra gave her an incredulous look.

"Sorry, I just… I was horny I guess."

"Excuse me, what?!" came a stunned reply from Ulquiorra. Had she just used the word horny? The things one saw if they just stayed alive long enough.

"Umm, sorry, I was just…. I am 24! I had never even kissed a guy till last week and what with all the hot men and stuff… I just… and then you were so cute, acting like an innocent little bat"

"What the hell is an innocent bat?!.. wait.." But Orihime ploughed on.

" And so I just got really… you know.." she trailed off.

"Horny?" Ulquiorra supplied.

"Ulquiorra kuuun!" Orihime said indignantly.

"Now I am ulquiorra kun?!" Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, bat kun!"

"Woman.."

"Sorry."

"Hmm, so in other words… you lusted for me?" Ulquiorra said thoughtfully.

"Errr…"

"Well?"

"Yes…"

"And now…"

"I don't know what now. I just…" Orihime really didn't want to confront any more 'feelings' right now. She had had enough emotional turmoil for a lifetime. She just wanted to have fun. That, and she was afraid that if she even went in the direction of what she actually felt for Ulquiorra, she would just explode. Also, whatever they had, she was enjoying it way too much to put an end to it like this.

"I can't say I didn't enjoy myself." Ulquiorra said, as if picking up on her train of thought.

"Oh…" Orihime turn bright red. He had liked it. He had enjoyed her just as much as she had enjoyed him. The thought somehow made her heart flutter.

"So…"

"So?" Orihime looked at Ulquiorra curiously.

"Maybe… err…. I mean.." This was new. Ulquiorra was tongue tied?!

Orihime laughed "Awwww…You are cute when you are tongue tied Ulqui kun."

"Don't push it with the nick names woman!" Ulquiorra reprimanded her.

"But why Ulqui kun?" Orihime pouted as her hand clasped his semi hard member, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Ugh, st…stop woman. There is a limit to how many times I can.." Ulquiorra's cheeks flushed adorably, only prodding Orihime further.

"How many times you can what… Ulqui chan." She said, rubbing him more urgently now.

"Now you are just pissing me off… ack!" Ulquiorra stiffened as Orihime gave his member another, harder squeeze. Soon, they were kissing frantically, their hands exploring each other's bodies. However Ulquiorra broke their kiss again.

"Wait, Orihime.. we should talk first"

"Are you kidding me?! Now's NOT the time! Focus you emo bat."

"Demanding are we..wait… did you just call me an emo bat?! Thats not even a thing..."

Needless to say, Orihime and Ulquiorra did not get any dinner that night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The image of Orihime seducing and dominating Ulquiorra was inspired by an fanart from rusky-boz. Its basically the last scene where Orihime is "carressing" Ulquiorra as he blushes adorably. <strong>


	9. Second time lucky

**AN: And here is another chapter my dear readers (and a much bigger one than last to make up for the coming delay)! The next update might really be a week or two from now, if not more. For one, I have a major deadline in an already busy month, which draws all my energy, leaving too little to write this. Second, the next few chapters are crucial in terms of developing the plot but also all the four main characters, and there are some difficult scenes, which seemed simple enough when I wrote the outline, but as I write them, I am realizing that I am not satisfied with what I have and they need more work. So the next update might not be in another 2 weeks or so. I will try to make it earlier, but there is an off chance it'll be later. **

**Now, for some thoughts on the obvious head start I have given Ulquiorra. Given that this is a romantic drama, I always wanted to have Orihime have much deeper interactions with the three male characters (and I dont just mean sexual ones, but more than surface level interactions and her considering which one is best). And that would need one of them to have a head start. Ichigo already seems to have a major advantage when it comes to Orihime, because in order to keep Orihime close to canon and in character, one has to write her deeply in love with Ichigo. In my mind, it almost seems like a relationship that starts high despite being one sided, but cannot be explored unless it has a fair share of lows. **

**Byakuya making a move on Orihime (beyond his first rather crafty move) would have been out of character for me. Despite his occasional quirks, I see Byakuya as a very stoic and composed person (much more so than Ulquiorra). Ulquiorra, on the other hand, always seemed on equal footing with Orihime in the manga. Maybe because he only ever interacted with her. And hence the obvious head start. **

**This story is now somewhere mid-way and as I mentioned things will get more dramatic. The next few chapters will bring back the other contenders in a major way and delve more into Orihime's conflicting feelings.**

**This chapter though, is primarily Orihime, her work and UlquiHime. There is a semi lemon, if thats not your kind of thing. I hope you guys enjoy. **

**And again, thank you to my reviewers. I do take your feedback very seriously and it helps me develop this plot better in terms of foreshadowing/clarifying things that aren't clear in the story. Love you all and have a great start of the week!**

**Disclaimer: Tite Kubo created these characters. I created the plot and AU so they can make love not war. ;)**

**Chapter 9: Second time lucky**

Ichimaru Gin was the right hand man of Aizen and assisted Ulquiorra with his work. Secretary might not have been the best way to describe him, but that was the official post he occupied. With silver hair and piercing blue eyes, the man had a bit of a creepy aura around him. He also happened to be married to a complete knock out in the HR department, Rangiku Matsumoto, who had made it a habit to stop by Orihime's office before every break to gossip about the going ons in the office.

"Did you hear Hime? I heard Starrk has been trying to woo Ise san from USJF. If he succeeds, you guys might loose the contract no matter what you do!" Rangiku whispered conspiratorially on yet another trip to Orihime's office. Orihime was glad that she spent most of the time off site with Ulquiorra. With Rangiku interrupting her she always wondered how she got anything done.

"Huh? Ise san is in Tokyo. How is Starrk wooing her exactly?"

"Ise san travelled to Tokyo for the presentation silly! She is Kyoraku san's secretary. She lives here. They met because Aizen works with USJF a lot. But Kyoraku san is rather possessive of Ise san, if you know what I mean." Rangiku winked. Orihime didn't know what she meant but she could tell.

Realizing that her audience was unimpressed, Rangiku ploughed on.

"Oh and btw, have you seen Cifer san today?"

"Yes Rangiku chan. He came in the morning, but had a meeting with Aizen." Orihime supplied. Wasn't her husband Ulquiorra's assistant and in possession of his calendar? Orihime grabbed herself a drink. Whatever this was, was going to take long.

"Well… I bet a thousand bucks the guy got laid this weekend."

Orihime spluttered the water she was drinking.

"Rangiku cchhaaaan!"

"Its ok Hime. Adults do these kinds of things." Rangiku winked. "I mean just last night Gin and I were.."

"Inoue san." Came the crisp voice of Ulquiorra as he walked into Orihime's office.

"Err, yes! Cifer san!"

"Please come to my office. We need to discuss the project plan. Aizen sama had a few suggestions." With that he gave Rangiku a sharp glance and walked out.

"Shit he definitely got some this weekend Hime. Typically he would have killed me for wasting the time of his employee. He was always so uptight. I always told Gin it was because the man was a virgin.."

"Ano… I ll talk to you later Rangiku chan!" Orihime smiled and started walking towards the inner door that connected her and Ulquiorra's office.

"Sure Hime! How about dinner tonight?"

"Umm, I already made plans. But lets have lunch tomorrow ok?" With that she waved at the blonde woman and walked into Ulquiorra's office.

His office was a large room not dissimilar from the conference room in the Tokyo office, with one side entirely made of glass, facing the Manhattan skyline. While the main office was minimal, with his desk, chair and sofas for guests, there was an inner chamber that had a larger sofa and some food. Aizen had had it converted because Ulquiorra had a habit of staying back at work overnight. Apparently he would just shower in the office gym.

"You called me, Cifer san?" Orihime said, looking at Ulquiorra meaningfully. He wasn't going to talk to Aizen about USJF. That could only mean that he had used it as an excuse.

"Yeah I did. I thought I would help you escape the mindless banter of Matsumoto Rangiku." He said evenly.

"Right."

"By the way, you do realize that we have neither the place, nor the idea and the presentation is in three weeks right? How is the roundup on city permits coming along?"

Orihime sighed. What had she been expecting? There was no way in hell Ulquiorra would get frisky during work. They had been so passionate all weekend, only breaking up to grab food and shower, that she was finding the lack of intimacy hard to get used to. In this business like environment, she was unsure how to deal with Ulquiorra after what had transpired between them in the last two days.

Orihime also wished she had a friend to talk to. She was really missing Rukia and even Tatsuki. However both her friends were resolutely against using social networking sites and this wasn't something that could be discussed on e mail.

Rangiku was friendly enough, but Orihime worried that if she even let it slip that she was the reason Ulquiorra got "laid" that weekend, the whole of Aizen Corp, US AND Japan offices would know of hers and Ulquiorra's tryst within an hour.

Orihime tried to focus back on work. That was the main purpose of her coming to New York after all.

"I listed all the areas where we could get a city permit for the sakura park. Ichimaru san even liaised with the city council about it. I am particularly partial to Central Park." She handed Ulquiorra her documents.

"Hmmm, I like that. Its grand enough.." Ulquiorra was pensive for a while.

"We need to brainstorm some more Inoue san. With the time running out, even if we cover our grounds enough it might be tough convincing USJF. I also suggest that we meet Kyoraku san once. He has shown interest in informing us a bit more about what they want and why they didn't go with your previous idea. Apparently Ise san had taken a particular liking to it."

"Mmm Hmm." Orihime sighed. Ulquiorra was worried. And knowing him, that usually meant he would just work longer and do more, possibly bleeding the work into the weekend. It looked like this was going to be a long, long week.

* * *

><p>"Aaaargh! I don't know what to do Ulquiorra! You keep rejecting everything I suggest! The only thing you agreed on was Central Park." It was midnight and Orihime and Ulquiorra had been in the office "brain storming" since 8 in the morning. She was tired, dizzy and after Ulquiorra turned down her fifth idea, fast loosing her patience with the pale man.<p>

"I wouldn't be rejecting them if you had absorbed a sliver of what I said in your skull woman!" Apparently she wasn't the only one loosing her patience.

Orihime shot Ulquiorra a dirty look. It was funny how they resumed their bickering when they were away from the eyes of their coworkers.

"What's wrong with this japanese bridge idea?"

"It looks like a normal bridge. People wont recognise it."

"But I suggested the exact same design as the one in memoirs of a geisha! Isn't that movie supposed to be very popular amongst Americans? Half the people here have asked me about it. They don't even know that the lead actors aren't even Japanese…"

"Must you test my patience woman?! The bridge is too impractical, too subtle and uncreative even by your standards."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Orihime walked over to Ulquiorra, glowering over him.

"It means the idea sucks. I am beginning to think that's more the norm with you though.."

"Am I supposed to be intimidated by your unnecessary rudeness?!" Now she was cowering over Ulquiorra, giving him a fantastic view of her cleavage. Ulquiorra felt his throat clench. _I will not think with my penis! _

But Orihime had noticed Ulquiorra's gaze shift from her eyes to her chest. She smirked inwardly. He was a guy after all. And after more than 14 hours of useless brainstorming, Orihime needed a release. She bent closer to Ulquiorra.

"You are the one who lacks the ability to think outside the box" she said, her voice almost a purr. She could see Ulquiorra's pupils dilate a bit, but he huffed at this retort anyways.

" I don't care what you think about my creative abilities woman." He raised a brow, his eyes till focused on Orihime's chest. _I will not think with my penis!_

Orihime rolled her eyes. So much for Ichigo thinking that Ulquiorra was into other men.

"My face is up here… Ciferrr saaaan." Orihime purred some more, bending forward so that Uquiorra could practically see inside her shirt.

Ulquiorra felt his member throb with need. What was wrong with him?! It wasn't that he hadn't encountered these sorts of situations before? Being standoffish, he either scared women, or every once in a while attracted the sort that would go beyond the limits to decency just to get a rise out of him. Yet he had never reacted like a hormonal fifteen-year-old virgin in these situations. But somehow, Inoue Orihime had ensured again, that he would make a fool of himself.

As if noticing his turmoil, Orihime decided to tip the scales completely, reaching over him to grab something so that her chest was firmly planted in front of Ulquiorra's face. That did it.

He didn't care if he was acting like a hormonal teenager or thinking with his penis. By the time he was done with the woman she would never dare pull such stunts with him again.

Without warning, he grabbed Orihime's breasts and ripped the shirt off of them, then latched his mouth on one of her bare nipples, using the leverage to pull her entire body close to him.

Orihime squealed, completely shocked. But before she had time to recover, he was nipping and kissing her chest and stomach, while frantically dragging her skirt below her knees.

"Aaaaah, Ull.. Ulquiorra.. ss..sstttop! What… what if!"

"What if what woman?" he huffed. "You should have thought of the consequences when you were acting all coy a few moments ago." He said, sliding her skirt off and then ripping her stockings cleanly off her. He then proceeded to lift her in his arms and placed her on his desk, ripping her panties off in the process.

Then he inserted a finger in her already wet folds.

"Already ready, I see." He smirked at Orihime. She pouted and turned her face away. Her body might have chosen to betray her, but she was not giving Ulquiorra Cifer the satisfaction of winning over her.

"Ho… defiant again?"

Orihime glared at him.

"Why? Because I said your ideas were unimaginative?" Ulquiorra said as he entered her. Orihime stifled a pleasured moan.

"Or because… I expected ….more…. from you." He said, rocking into her.

"Stop talk..t..talking batman..aaaaaaghh"

"Sure… Orihime." Ulquiorra said, now practically pounding into her as Orihime wailed wantonly. Soon after, Ulquiorra picked Orihime from the desk, turning her around so she was face down on it, entering her again, slowing his movements as her cries became more drawn out.

"Ul…Ulquiorrraaaa…aaaah…aaaaaah.." He felt Orihime's walls clench tightly around his member, almost painfully.

They went at it for what seemed like eternity, her cries echoing off his office walls as she felt strangely exposed due to the manhattan night sky that lay to her left.

Soon after, Ulquiorra had taken her in his inner chamber, and Orihime was now precariously propped on him, her balance held by the mere fact that their bodies were still joined as one. Ulquiorra started pounding into her again, making her bounce such that each time she felt she might slip off and fall.

As if understanding the situation, her folds started clamping around Ulquiorra's member, holding onto it for dear life. Orihime wailed without abandon, knowing full well that no one could see or hear them.

Orihime rejoiced in these sensations fully. She loved the feeling of Ulquiorra throbbing inside her, the abandon with which she could scream her hearts desires and he would fulfill them the very next second. She loved the chill caused by freezing sweat on her naked body, the angles at which she saw herself joined together with Ulquiorra.

It was as if she had suddenly been woken up to the realization that she was, indeed a woman. A confident, sexy woman who was exploring all that her body was capable of and admiring and savoring all the pleasures the male form could offer. Briefly, Orihime wondered why sex had been such a taboo issue, frequently used as a tool to suppress women, when it could be so absolutely, completely liberating.

Maybe it mattered that your partner was in sync with you, reading your movements, willing to understand your desires and being non judgemental about your needs. And Ulquiorra was all of that, if not more. Orihime smiled at the thought gently, as Ulquiorra hit a particularly sweet spot inside her.

"Aaaaaaahhh, Oh my god! There! Ulqui rrrrright there. Please!"

Not needing further prodding, Ulquiorra slid out and slammed into her again, trying to hit the same spot, eliciting another moan. He soon fell into a rhythm, hitting the same sweet spot again and again till Orihimes fractured moans coalesced to become a song of intense pleasure. As was becoming the norm, she soon lost track of the times she came, and before he could stop himself, Ulquiorra came hard too. They fell in a heap, panting and utterly exhilarated.

"Batman!" Orihime suddenly shot up and looked at Ulquiorra, her eyes alight. "I know what to do for the USJF project!"

"Huh? Wha..?" Ulquiorra was still disoriented from his orgasm.

"Seriously. Even YOU wont be able to find a fault with this one!" Orihime winked.

* * *

><p>The idea was to develop a replica of one of the sections of Ueno park surrounding the Kiyomizu Kanon temple; including a smaller version of the shrine and sakura park, in Central Park. This section and Ueno itself were not only famous in Tokyo, but also represented Japanese architecture. On the other hand, one of the wilder sections of Ueno would be converted to look like Strawberry Fields in Central Park.<p>

Ulquiorra had to admit, he was amazed by the woman's ingenuity. To create a section instead of plain sakura field, would ensure that the park goers experienced japan and not just in the spring. On the other hand, the proposal to convert a part of Ueno into replica of strawberry fields, a momentous central park location meant that Japanese citizens too could experience New York right in Tokyo. It would also give USJF more leverage. Simply asking to modify a chunk of central park might not have gone down so well with the city. However the idea that a section of central park would be immortalised in one of Tokyo's most famous parks seemed like a much more equitable deal. Also, Yamamoto had enough influence in Japan to make the Tokyo bit happen. Finally, a mutual replica like this was bound to make headlines, enough to mollify Yamamoto who was a stickler for tradition and loved grand gestures.

And to think that the woman had had this idea right after they had finished making love. Suddenly the strange ways scientists made discoveries sitting underneath an apple tree or while taking a bath didn't seem so preposterous to Ulquiorra.

Once they had settled on the idea (this being the ONLY time they agreed on something), Ulquiorra and Orihime were possessed with a sense of newfound purpose. They stayed in office, planning out every little detail or wandered around Central Park scoping out the potential location of the Ueno replica. Ulquiorra spent most of his nights at Orihime's hotel room, or they roomed in together in his office. It wasn't that Ulquiorra minded taking Orihime back to his apartment. However after that one time they had made love in his apartment, his neighbours had e mailed him, complaining to keep the noise to the minimum.

Ulquiorra smirked at this. Orihime was a screamer, and each night she became bolder, screaming stuff that could make him turn red. Ulquiorra had wondered what his relationship with this woman was. Till now they had maintained the professional and distant relationship in front of the world. However the moment they were alone, they would naturally slip into a routine of bickering, debating ideas and leg pulling that would almost always end in passionate love making. Even though it had only been two weeks since they had been physical, it felt like they had been doing this for years.

However, Ulquiorra hadn't broached the subject of the nature of their relationship since his first conversation with Orihime. She hadn't seemed very keen on it then, and he could tell that she didn't know. Even in their conversations, which meandered outside of work related stuff frequently, he had noticed that she steered clear of any conversation about love or relationships. And although he knew she was unattached, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the fact that not once in the two weeks had orihime mentioned the orange haired man.

Ulquiorra looked at the view of East river and Manhattan from his office window, letting out a long sigh. For now it was all right this way. Ulquiorra liked what they had too much to complicate things. Also, who was to say they couldn't carry on a no strings attached sort of relationship? After all, that was all it was to the woman, at least from the looks of it. Again, Ulquiorra felt a painful pulling in his chest. He wished for once he could understand his feelings. He had never been very good at it, mostly because he didn't have many "feelings". He had always been distant, had very few friends and had never been romantically or even sexually attached with someone. Even those close to him had not been as intimate as Orihime was, and not just physically. Their conversations were as enjoyable for Ulquiorra as the sex was.

Orihime whom he had deemed as uninspired and airheaded on their first meeting, was actually quite passionate about the things she cared for. She seemed to genuinely think that urban planning could help make life better for people, which surprised Ulquiorra as even though he knew Orihime was competent, she had never shown much interest in the business aspect of Aizen corps work. And although he disagreed with Orihime's viewpoints, calling them idealistic at best, he still found them exciting and puzzling, just like the woman herself. Either ways, no matter what he felt, he knew that the woman wasn't in the mood for discussing her feelings. And so they had continued their relationship, implicitly understanding not to wonder or question anything.

* * *

><p>Orihime looked at the alarm clock. 7 AM. It was still early. However she had been feeling buzzed as the presentation was in two days. She was excited about it this time. But not in the same way she had been the previous time. This time she felt more calm than brazen confidence, mostly because she and Ulquiorra had worked on it together. And as much as she found his views heartless and arrogant, she knew that he understood the way corporations worked better than her. He was ruthlessly objective and had a critical eye for detail. Nothing ever missed his emerald green eyes and having him approve (or point out flaws they could correct) made her feel significantly more confident that oversights like the ones she had made in her past presentation to Yamamoto wouldn't happen.<p>

Ulquiorra had also asked her every single question possible in the book for the presentation, and coached her till her ears were ringing, about how to answer them. He had also assured her that he would jump in, lest she find herself in trouble.

Ulquiorra… They had slept in his apartment last night, mostly because it was late and they had been convinced that they were too tired to engage in any other activities. This hadn't stopped Ulquiorra from "forgetting" to give the cab driver the address to Orihime's hotel and then casually offering that she stay at his place as they should take the day before the presentation off, now that they were by all accounts, over prepared.

So shocked was Orihime at the fact that Ulquiorra had suggested they take a break, that she hadn't bothered questioning his flimsy logic, and walked in his apartment like an innocent lamb. They had fallen asleep immediately after. However in the middle of the night, Ulquiorra had gotten frisky again and they had made love till the wee hours of the morning, with orihime shutting her mouth with her hands to muffle her moans.

Orihime had only been in Ulquiorra's apartment once, early on. However apparently they had been way too loud for the neighbours and had to keep their nighttime activities to Orihime's hotel room, which had better noise cancellation that NYC apartments. However she had liked Ulquiorra's space. The apartment was simple and unassuming, with white walls interspersed with sections painted completely black. He seemed to like clear geometric shapes and had minimal furniture, the most notable of which was a gorgeous emerald rug. His bedroom was similar hues of black, white and emerald green. For New York standards, the apartment was extremely well lit, with large windows facing the Hudson river and allowing lots of sunshine, and furnished with very new and modern furniture.

Strangely, it had lacked any personal touch. No graduation pictures or baseball medals. Nothing to indicate that the person occupying them had a past. Orihime had learnt from Nel and Grimmjow that Ulquiorra was an orphan, and had been in the orphanage till he got into Keio on full scholarship and left. They also said that he never mentioned any friends back in Keio and had only once mentioned that he had a Keio alumna as a mentor whom he got along with pretty well; possibly because he had finished a four year degree in two years, interning for Aizen in his summers. The only time Ulquiorra had spoken about his past was when he had joked to Orihime that it was his straight face that had scared potential sappy parents from adopting him.

Even though interacting with the stoic Ulquiorra every day gave an impression of a man who was very self assured, these details about his life, the apartment lacking in personal touch, the fact that he had remained in an orphanage while those around him got picked up to have families, the reality that Nel and Grimmjow were possibly his only friends in the whole wide world; always gnawed at Orihime and made her feel a strange ache in her chest.

It was not that she felt sorry for Ulquiorra, although it was hard not to. But Ulquiorra wasn't pitiful. She saw the care with which he treated Nel and Grimmjow and even her. The attention he paid to those he called friends.

Even with her, Orihime realized that the reason she never minded Ulquiorra's bluntness and criticisms was because the fact that he found faults with her work meant that he cared enough to look closer. He took her seriously and treated her as if he would an equal, always had from the first time they had met. Orihime knew that even her friends, including sometimes Rukia had always been overprotective about her. Although the degree to which they did this varied (with Ichigo and Tatsuki being the most overprotective and Rukia being the sole one who treated her like a person and not a fragile piece of glass), Orihime had often felt that her friends loved her but did not respect her. Yet she had felt this respect from Ulquiorra, despite his sour attitude and blunt remarks, and it made her feel that she was strong by herself and capable to taking care of herself.

Orihime yawned again and turned around, to find that Ulquiorra was already out of bed.

"Good morning batman." She whispered. Ulquiorra looked back at her, his heart skipping a beat. He mused over this. They had woken up together almost every day in the past three weeks. Why had he reacted this way today of all days? Was it because the woman was in his bed (their previous tryst at his apartment had taken them across the apartment and ended on his green rug) wishing him good morning? Ulquiorra shrugged. He didn't know, but he knew that he liked this feeling.

"Good morning woman. Oatmeal or pancakes?"

"hmmm… bagel! With cream cheese! Oh and one with eggs and cheese and some.."

"Sure. Get dressed then." Ulquiorra said shaking his head and walking to the shower.

"Mmmmm, I am too lazy Ulquiiii"

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime stifle a fake yawn and sighed.

"Fine then, I'll get it. But get up and get dressed. I am not getting another one if this one gets cold."

Orihime smiled. Funny how for treating her as an equal, Ulquiorra could be strangely chauvinistic sometimes.

* * *

><p>It was 7 AM and Orihime was already dressed for her mid day presentation. She felt her hands shaking. This had a strange sense of déjà vu.<p>

"Its going to be all right." She heard Ulquiorra from behind her. He was looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I don't know Ulquiorra. What if this time they think it's a horrible idea and Yamamoto looses his head and shoves me out of the building? Do you know what its like to fall from the 55th floor?!"

"No I don't think anyone KNOWS what its like to fall from that high, as they surely wouldn't survive that woman. As I said, don't worry. Kyoraku san isn't Yamaoto san." Orihime turned back and looked at Ulquiorra, not convinced.

"But that old geezer is also coming right?"

Ulquiorra smirked at this.

"Yeah. But you need not worry about him. I'll take his questions."

"But what if he has you fired Ulquiorra?" Ulquiorra felt a warm sensation in his chest. The woman was worried for him. Uncharacteristic to him, a very small smile graced his face.

"Don't worry, Orihime. I can protect myself from the likes of Yamamoto." His voice assured her and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"And, I promise that if any of them try to shove you out of the window I will show them hell."

"Well, if you were Spiderman I would feel a bit better since he can jump along tall buildings, but batman can't even fly.."

"Batman has batmobile and uses technology. In my opinion that's a much safer bet than some mutation.."

"Aa ha! I KNEW you liked Batman.."

"I never said that woman!" Ulquiorra looked at Orihime sternly.

"Yeah Yeah whatever. Deny it as much as you want." Orihime pulled out her tongue. Ulquiorra felt himself relax. Orihime was going to be fine.

* * *

><p>Within the first few minutes, Ulquiorra knew they had this in the bag. Kyoraku Shunsui had a notoriously short attention span. Yet, he was constantly asking Orihime questions about the feasibility of the plan. So much so that the 30 minute presentation lasted for more than an hour. Yamamoto on the other hand was quiet throughout. Orihime seemed unnerved by this but Ulquiorra took it as a good sign.<p>

The fact that Yamaoto was quiet could only mean one thing. He was upset because he was finding it hard to reject this proposal. When they got up to let the client discuss the next steps, he quickly gave Orihime's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Your leave wont be necessary Mr Cifer. We have made our decision." Kyoraku interrupted the duo.

"Shunshui.." Yamamoto grumbled.

"You know this is a brilliant idea, even if it isn't as grand. I had liked Orihime chan's previous idea too. But I do admit, this one is without any flaw. Not to mention the idea of sister park replicas is quite novel and genuine. Or do you not like it Yamaji." Kyoraku looked at Yamamoto knowingly.

" I think it is the best one we have seen so far." The old man grumbled.

Was she hearing right?! Had that ancient dementor just complimented her and Ulquiorra?! Yamamoto looked and Ulquiorra and grimaced and it took her a while to realize that he may be smiling.

"I suppose Aizen Corp has redeemed itself after the last debacle. As I would expect from you Cifer san." He nodded.

"If you must compliment anyone it should be Inoue san. This project was entirely her idea." Ulquiorra nodded towards Orihime. Now both Yamamoto and Kyoraku were looking at Orihime. Yamamoto gave her a curt nod while Kyoraku gave her a wide smile and winked.

"Good job Inoue san. Now then, I must find Aizen dono and congratulate him on getting the USJF contract." With that Yamamoto walked out.

"I am glad we will be working closely from now Orihime chan. You surely are a sight for sore eyes." Kyoraku stood rather closely to Orihime as he winked at her.

" Ise san.." upon hearing Ulquiorra say this, Kyoraku whipped his head towards Ulquiorra, alert and took a few steps away from Orihime.

"What about Ise san, Cifer san?" he asked pointedly.

"Ise san would be liaising with us for this, correct?" Ulquiorra asked innocently. Orihime gave him a grateful look.

"Errr.. yes, I think. Umm.. Thank you both. Great work! I ll talk soon." With that Kyoraku and the last of the USJF delegates left the room.

Orihime turned to Ulquiorra, her expression a mixture of gratitude and relief.

"That was… what you did…thank.. and what you said… and I was.. and OH MY GOD I AM SO GLAD YOU WONT BE FIRED!" She sighed heavily.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. That's what the woman was concerned about? His wellbeing? Few weeks ago he would have scoffed at such declarations. However to his surprise, he found himself feeling glad and happy that she had cared about his wellbeing.

"I am glad your hard work didn't go to waste either, woman." He said softly, taking a step closer to Orihime, feeling a sudden urge to take her in his arms.

"And thank you Ulquiorra. Truly."

"For what? This was all you."

"No it wasn't. The idea may have been mine, but we developed it together and you prepared me for every single one of those questions, you kept me on track, you pointed out things I would not have thought important. More importantly, you challenged me enough so that even I wouldn't be able to settle for anything but the best for me."

It was becoming hard for Ulquiorra to breathe or resist his urge to crush the woman in his arms and..

"I.. Things between us… I don't just see you as some fling…"

His heart stopped.

"I.. You are a very special friend and I don't know… partner in crime? Sorry, I may not be very articulate, and my feelings have been a confused mess these days but..just, thank you for being you."

Ulquiorra felt his heart clench coldly. Of course, their "fling" had been just that. Them fulfilling their physical needs. He supposed it was good that at least he had acquired a new friend? But did making new friends always make one feel so cold, like a rotten, clammy hand was clenching their heart, squeezing the very life out of it?

* * *

><p>"Woooot! Here is a toast the success of my stuck up friend, on his what ever the fuck project that I don't give a damn about. " Grimmjow toasted Ulquiorra and Orihime as he downed his shot.<p>

"You could at least TRY Grimmy! They worked so hard! I am suuuupppper happy Ulqui and Hime! I KNEW you would nail it!" Nel was already quite tipsy as she grabbed Orihime in a tight hug and then went on to hug Ulquiorra, planting a kiss right on his lips.

"Stop coddling me Nelliel." Ulquiorra seemed unfazed by this, however Orihime's jaw had hit the floor. Nel had kissed Ulquiorra?! She felt a mad urge to throttle Nel.

"But I missed you Ulquiiii!" Nel said, now hanging on Ulquiorra's arms.

"Ummm, its ok Nel chan, we are here now. Ehehehe." Orihime tried holding Nel's hand, unsuccessfully.

"But you don't know Hime. Ulqui, Grimmy and I hang out every weekend. Yet he hasn't been around and he made you work too! And now you guys are going back to Tokyo! Nel is going to be so lonely! Ulquiiiiii." She grabbed Ulquiorra in another bone crushing hug. Grimmjow was about to go to Ulquiorra's rescue but Orihime got there first, freeing him from Nel's tight hold.

"Its OK Nel chan! Come visit me in Tokyo! You said you would right? You can stay with me.. and..and.. we can go out every night if you want.."

"Holy shit mother of god you guys are fucking!" Grimmjow's mouth was wide open, his eyes holding a look of utter shock in them.

"Wha"

"What nonsense. Keep your mouth shut Grimmjow." Ulquiorra shot him a look. Which only made Grimmjow's shocked look turn into a feline and raucous laughter. The exchange shocked Nel enough to let go of Ulquiorra as she too started watching Orihime and Ulquiorra closely.

"Its written ALL over her face dude! She was practically eye stabbing Nel when Nel kissed you! I KNEW IT! I KNEW you two would be at it before the week was up! Who jumped who?"

Ulquiorra sighed. It was no use hiding things from Grimmjow. He always had a way of knowing when it came to Ulquiorra. He shot Orihime an apologetic look, but she had turned completely red.

"It was princess wasn't it?" Grimmjow said almost incredulously. As if on cue, Orihime turned even redder and practically hid her face with her hand.

"Shit! That's crazy! Princess you have some whack taste in men, if ya know what I mean! Nel, gimme my 100!"

"100?" Ulquiorra looked confused as Nel regained some of her composure, sighed and took out a 100 dollar bill and handed it to Grimmjow.

"I bet that the princess would jump you first. Nel said Hime is too pure to do such a thing. Pure my ass, damn you are a vixen princess! Who would have known."

"That's enough Grimmjow! You are making the…"'

"Yada yada, I know I know. I'll go out, do my little dance and come back. But about time kids. Welcome to the adults club." With that Grimmjow slapped Ulquiorra on his back, hugged orihime and walked out to take a smoke, dragging Nel with him.

"ano.. errr.."

"Don't worry about them. I apologize if it made you uncomfortable."

"No! I mean.. Nel chan and Grimmjow kun are my friends too. I don't mind. I mean.. I am just a bit.. shy.. about these things."

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrowas if saying 'Shy? About sex.. that's new' to which Orihime scowled.

* * *

><p>"You all right? You need to change that expression of yours." Grimmjow held out a cigarette for Nel.<p>

"Thanks Grimmy. Do I look that obvious?"

"well, yeah. God Nel! Ulquiorra?! What is it about that nerd that makes two absolute knock outs nuts for him?!"

"Well, for one he doesn't treat women like pieces of meat." Nel put her tongue out.

"Ya ya whatever. Will ya be all right? Its princess's last day ya know.."

"I know Grimmy. And I'll be fine. I knew I didn't stand a chance anyways, especially since he went to Tokyo. You remember that e mail he sent us?"

"Which one, emo sends us a lot of random crap and forwards ya know."

"Not one of his 'Fun facts to increase Nel and Grimmjow's IQ' series you dummy. I meant the one he sent us a few days after he arrived in Tokyo."

"Aaaaah, yeah I remember that. Mentioned some airheaded bimbo and how annoying she was in it."

"He was talking about Orihime."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah, Grimmy. I lost before I ever tried." Nel mumbled.

"I do feel sorry for ya. If it makes ya feel better, Ulquiorra was a major improvement over Nnoitra. Reckon your taste in men might be improving! Try looking for a less egotistical and err maybe less virginal man next time?"

Nel playfully shoved Grimmjow, wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

"Do you think they know Grimmy?"

"Know what?"

"What they have with each other?"

"Do you even know Ulquiorra?! No way in hell does HE know for sure. Dude can be rather dense sometimes."

"What about Hime?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Don't know honestly. Princess seems less dense than that dunce. But she seems to be going through some issues."

"You are surprisingly insightful Grimmy! You mean I still have a chance then?"

"Hell if I know Nel. The man who raised me took my mother in when my biological father dumped her five months pregnant. They are still the tightest couple I know. One thing I know is, sharing your life with someone is a lot more than falling in love. Now clean up and lets go in."

Grimmjow grabbed one of Nel's hands and dragged her back into the club.

* * *

><p>The next evening Orihime and Ulquiorra arrived in Tokyo to complete the rest of the project.<p>

"Hmm, it seems Urahara wasn't expecting us soon and didn't booking a hotel for me tonight. I wonder if these airport hotels are any good?" Ulquiorra mumbled, looking around trying to find a kiosk for hotel information at the arrivals area.

"You can stay with me if you want?" Orihime looked at him. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. They hadn't discussed what would happen to their "little fling" once they reached Tokyo. Did this mean that the woman wanted to continue? Not that he would mind. He was feeling especially restless during the whole plane ride but Orihime had categorically refused to "have a quickie" in the airplane toilet.

"Just let me make a quick phone call ok?" with that Orihime moved aside to call Rukia.

"Hime! Its been so long! I was going to sign up on that facejournal thing just to get in touch with you! Ichigo has been asking about you lately. Oh and nii sama was trying to reach you, unsuccessfully so I told him you are away for work and will be back in a month. He said to let him know when you are back. But.. Ichigo has been bugging me persistently for a week now. What happened?"

"Umm… Rukia chan it's facebook. Also, its hard talking right now. We'll talk tomorrow night? My place? I ll get some donuts"

"Hmmm, sounds like we have a lot to catch up on! See you soon Orihime! Oh and okairi"

"tadaima" Orihime smiled, hanging up. Tokyo. The place she had left behind with all her troubles. She would miss New York. She looked for Ulquiorra, wanting to inform him that they could catch a cab to her place, only to be stopped by a voice.

"Inoue…"

Orihime turned around and almost blanched. Standing at the arrivals, giving her his most brilliant smile, was Kurosaki Ichigo.

* * *

><p><strong>okairi: welcome home. tadaima: I am home. <strong>


	10. Does the heart really know?

**Author Note:**

**Hi guys. Thank you for sticking by me. This chapter is late, but my life has been crazy busy and will only get busier. Plus there was some issue with internet for the last few days. However I am on track for updates even if they will be slower at this point. This chapter is mostly Ichigo. Yes, FINALLY we have his perspective in the story. :) I hope you enjoy it. I will try to get the next chapter out in a week or two at most! **

**Thank you again for those who reviewed! Your reviews keep me going! xoxo**

**Discliamer: Tite Kubo made these amazing characters. Then decided that they would fight and loose instead of love and gain. Well... I plan to change that. **

**Chapter 10 : Does the heart really know?**

Ichigo had never been very good with emotional stuff. Typically he didn't like sitting and mulling over feelings, figuring out emotions and why he felt what he did. If he had conviction in something then that was enough of a reason for him to pursue it.

However his "fights" with Orihime had pushed him to mull and think over his feelings for the first time in his life. He had known Orihime for more than half of their lives now, and considered her a fairly good friend. Of course, given his habit of not discussing/ mulling over feelings meant that his friendships weren't built around long conversations and discussing shared values. Actually Ichigo really wasn't much of a talker at all. His friendship with each of his friends had a unique history.

His school friends Keigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki had been people he hung out with. That became impossible once he moved to Tokyo. Yet they could always pick up where they left with their bickering and camaraderie when he did visit his family back in Karakura.

Ishida was another story. Ichigo and him had started out as rivals in high school. However now Ichigo could easily call him the closest friend he had. Not because they shared secrets. But because Ishida got him (and therefore pointed out his various flaws) like no one else (including Rukia) could. Also, Ishida complimented him. Ichigo had a habit of rushing into things without thinking. Ishida was thoughtful and meditative. Therefore over years Ishida had become akin to Ichigo's voice of reason.

Then there was Rukia. Ichigo had spent most of their high school years musing if he liked Rukia as a sister or a lover. It really wasn't clear. Though nowhere near Ishida, Rukia got him, and more often than not had kicked sense into him when he had been down. For a while he had heard Keigo and Mizuiro suggest that he should ask her out since they got along so well. And for a while he had seriously considered doing it. Rukia was his type in the sense that Ichigo liked strong independent women.

But being a late bloomer it had never occurred to him to pursue directions apart from friendships. Furthermore he had been too caught up in the sister vs. soul mate conundrum and the one time he had shown slight interest, Rukia had jumped the gun and told him to not even go there as she already had someone and she didn't like him that way (boy that had been harsh, even though he had taken it surprisingly well).

Now Rukia was just one of his friends and confidant; someone who knocked sense into him when Ishida couldn't or didn't and someone who said things as they were.

Orihime was another story all together. Orihime was an incidental friend. She and Ichigo weren't drawn together by things they did or by opposing personality traits that usually resulted in rivalry and ended in friendship. They were drawn together by their closeness to Tatsuki. And while each of his friends was a distinct and clear presence in Ichigo's life, strong, complimentary and even annoying; Orihime was more like the breeze that blew over the horizon.

Until they moved to Tokyo, Ichigo hadn't even thought of himself and Orihime as friends. They never hung out one on one and the most distinct memories Ichigo had of Orihime were her crying over her brothers dead form or them laughing over their joint love for some silly show no one else really liked. But mostly Ichigo remembered worrying about her. Orihime could be a klutz and Ichigo was chronically over protective.

Their relationship had of course advanced when they moved to Tokyo, mostly because with Tatsuki in Kyoto, Rukia with Renji and then Ishida with Nemu, Ichigo and Orihime had found themselves chatting each other up on many occasions as the unofficial third wheels.

It was probably because of this general distance and subsequent bridging of this distance that Ichigo had found himself discovering many aspects to Orihime's otherwise sunny personality. And, just like the breeze, while Orihime's presence in his life was more an undercurrent than a statement, like the breeze's malleable nature Ichigo found that Orihime too could change and mould, and reveal sides he hadn't seen before.

Yet, when had he started feeling attracted to Orihime? In all honesty Ichigo didn't know. By all conventional male standards, Orihime was an attractive woman. Heck, now that Ichigo wasn't the virginal teenager who thought he hated nude female bodies, he would even admit that seeing her in a bikini on their school trips had left a very lasting and deep impact on his psyche.

However by the time Ichigo had discovered sex, Orihime had decidedly and most definitely become a friend. More so, she was someone he had always felt a deep desire to protect. Therefore stray thoughts about her copious curves were prohibited, even in the privacy of his own thoughts. The women he dated were self aware and sexual. Orihime wasn't. Actually Ichigo knew that she was a virgin and had never dated anyone in college (something that frankly astounded him).

Yet something had changed that night she had snapped at him.

Ichigo was used to an Orihime that was almost painfully kind, an aspect of her personality that only made him more protective of her, as he knew such kindness could be easily used by people. He had also always felt guilty when receiving this unquestioning kindness.

Seeing an increasingly self reliant and defiant Orihime had crumbled this image of a helpless girl in his mind. Apparently that wasn't the only thing that had crumbled. It was as if all dams he had erected over the issue of Inoue Orihime had broken down. And increasingly (and much to his annoyance) Ichigo was finding himself strangely attracted to his friend. It had first manifested as a desire to get to know her, prompting him to take every opportunity given to meet/help her.

He was always comfortable around Orihime, but somehow this Orihime was much easier to talk to and also much more exciting. He felt it easier to express himself to her now that he wasn't exercising self-restraint around her all the time. Also he had always felt a strain in Orihime's interactions with him, as if she was really uncomfortable talking to him. She had always seemed more careful and guarded and inhibited.

Yet the Orihime he spoke to following the outburst was increasingly unrestrained, freeing him of any need to exercise caution or restraint in his behaviour towards her. Ichigo had found that he really liked these interactions with Orihime.

In the brief period where he had taken the pains to ask her for dinner or accompany her, he had found an emotional connection he had never felt with Orihime before.

At first he had dismissed it as purely their friendship growing stronger. He had ignored the fact that he was increasingly becoming aware of her physically, noticing her smell, the curve of her hips, the way her cheeks had flushed when she had cried, the way she had felt when he had taken her in his arms.

But this was Orihime! It was one thing to have shallow flings with fully aware and consenting women; completely another to start a relationship with a friend who you knew would never take such things lightly. Ichigo had also sensed that Orihime might have had feelings for him. He wasn't as dense as his friends liked to believe. However if anything, this had discouraged him further, as he didn't want to start something he knew he couldn't carry through.

For all his "experience" Ichigo had never had a serious relationship. He was too focussed on his career and dream to be the best doctor he could, to worry about things like relationships.

Since his mother had fallen down the stairs and succumbed to her injuries right in front of his young eyes, he had vowed to himself that he would never let anyone else dear to him suffer and die the way his mother had. That desire had possessed him since a young age and he had worked every day of his life since then to become a good doctor.

Ichigo wasn't naturally brainy like Ishida. In fact he considered himself of average intelligence. He had worked extremely hard to get into the best medical program in Japan and had harboured the dreams of studying general surgery and emergency care in the US since he had realized that he didn't want to be one of those doctors who had fancy offices and visiting hours. No. He wanted to work in ER, saving lives that were in danger and held on precarious balance. However general surgery was one of the hardest fields in medicine in terms of entry barriers. And so Ichigo had again devoted most of his energies into preparing for the American entrance called USMLE and gaining research experience to go to the best American ER. Combined with his modest family background, he had to ensure that he worked as hard as he could to get a scholarship to the postgraduate medical program.

Yes, since his mother's death, medicine was Ichigo's passion. And there was simply no room for love or relationships. His flings were just a way for him to relieve his stress. And he was not so dishonourable as to use Orihime for relieving his stress and sexual frustration. So, even though he was aware of her feelings and then his growing attraction, he had ignored it.

What he had not anticipated was Orihime going on a blind date with Byakuya and how that might affect him. When Rukia had excitedly told him that they had already gone out three times (a real stretch apparently as Byakuya hadn't seen any of the other candidates arranged by his aunt but once) and that Orihime might very well become her sister in law, something in Ichigo had snapped.

And as was his habit, instead of thinking about why he felt so upset when his other friends were quite happy or whether it was appropriate to meddle in Orihime's personal life when she had never judged or prodded in his love life, he had directly broached the subject with Orihime, to shocking results. It wasn't Orihime's indignation that surprised him. No, that was justified.

It was the content of their conversation and the fact that they had voiced out their feelings for each other under such unfortunate circumstances and mood. After walking around Tokyo in his stunned state he had decided to dismiss those thoughts and go back to his old life. Making a move on Orihime when he didn't even understand what he felt was out of question.

However he just didn't feel very into anything. Even taking Senna out on dates, which was already becoming tedious was a painful task and much to the young girls horror Ichigo had simply broken up with her, saying that he wasn't in a place where he could have a relationship.

It wasn't because of Orihime. Ichigo could tell Senna was different from his previous flings. She wanted something serious and was naive enough to pursue it with someone like him. He couldn't take advantage of that. The fight with Orihime had only quickened the inevitable.

He then asked for counsel from the only person he ever taken advice from; Ishida Uuryu.

He still remembered that talk very well, mostly because as expected, Ishida had been brutally honest with him.

His friend hadn't seemed shocked when Ichigo had confessed that maybe he had feelings for Orihime. Instead he had scoffed a "oh! So you finally noticed?"

When Ichigo had asked what he meant he had simply stated that everyone knew of Orihime's feelings for him. But Ishida himself had suspected for some time that Ichigo might reciprocate them.

_"Your annoying and protective attitude towards her, the way you tended to her needs and the way you always maintain a distance from her, as if you might hurt her from just being around. You have always treated Inoue san a bit different."_

_"Well if you knew, why didn't you say something?!"_

_"And what would you do if I had pointed it out Kurosaki? These are not things third parties should meddle in anyways, even if they happen to be friends. I am sure even Rukia knew but held back. Also when it comes to emotional maturity, you have the capacity of a teaspoon. If in that state, propelled by my "advice" you had asked Inoue san out, she would have definitely said yes. And to what end? I think you know yourself it wouldn't have ended well. We all just hoped that she would move on."_

This had hurt, if Ichigo were to be honest. Did he appear so callous to his friends that they would practically shield Orihime from him? He didn't disagree with Ishida. He wasn't in a place where he wanted or could make a commitment, especially when he had a goal that superseded everything. Also would Inoue want to move to America with him? Would it even be fair?! Would he be able to take care of someone who had given up her whole life only to become dependent on a poor student with a limited stipend? Most of all, was such a life-changing move worth it for either of them when Ichigo did not even know if this was something he wanted for forever?

And why was he assuming that Orihime would accept his proposal? Now she had Byakuya, by all means a perfect male specimen if there ever was one, why would she leave the promise of a stable life for her childish feelings towards a boy notorious for loving them and leaving them because he couldn't bring himself to love one person over his desire to protect everybody else?

Ichigo was loath to admit it but the reason he had minded Orihime dating Byakuya was because Byakuya scared him. If it were a random guy, it would be different. But Byakuya was a grown man who knew exactly what he wanted. Ichigo wasn't naive. Women may be driven by romantic fantasies but they always considered practical aspects of a relationship when settling down.

Even if he were to ask Orihime out, there was a slim chance that she would leave the security and promise of family Byakuya offered, for him. And then there was her green-eyed boss. Ichigo hadn't gleaned anything from Orihime, but he simply didn't like the way she would speak about him. It was as if a different person would take over her body and he couldn't understand if she liked or hated this man. All he could tell was that she thought way more about him than was normal.

But Ichigo couldn't go on mulling things. It was so unlike him that it almost made him laugh. This was just too funny. Kurosaki Ichigo, who had never once doubted his decisions (no matter how idiotic they were in Ishida's opinion) had been brooding for weeks and had even broken up with a girlfriend, all because he couldn't figure out what he felt for Orihime and if those feelings warranted the risk of hurting her in case things went south. Because if there was one thing Ichigo knew, it was that he could never stand to see Inoue Orihime hurt.

He had considered meeting her once, to apologize about the fight at least and see how she would respond. Surely Orihime with her sensitive nature would not have missed the unsaid words in that conversation. However, much to his shock, Orihime had already been away for more than three weeks by that time. And not somewhere close but half way across the world!

It was when Ichigo felt the need to see her even if it meant spending a fortune to travel thousands of miles, that he had made the decision. He didn't know what would come out of it, and he didn't know what exactly his feelings were beyond the love and attraction he felt for her. But he did know one thing. If he just stood there, misdirecting his anger and hiding like a coward while Orihime chose to marry someone who probably wasn't planning to love her in the first place, he would regret it.

He was done thinking, and it was time to take action. Ichigo took a deep breath. He didn't know if what he was going to do was right or if it would even work. But he could not live with himself if he didn't even try.

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later: The Present<em>

Ichigo had learnt about Orihime's flight from Renji and after some research about flights arriving from New York had gone and waited at the arrivals at Narita. As he saw Orihime emerge with her green-eyed boss she called 'batman' he stiffened a bit. He didn't like the way the green-eyed man was looking at Orihime one bit and there seemed to be a strange sense of intimacy about how they were acting around each other. Ichigo saw Orihime go to the side to make a phone call and was done quickly. Yet, it looked like the green-eyed man had no plans to leave Orihime's side. Ichigo decided it was time to take action, and walked up to where she could see him, smiling as she turned to face him.

"Inoue! You are back!" Ichigo walked up to Orihime and embraced her in a tight hug. "I missed you. Let's go. You must be tired"

" Err wait, Kurosaki kun. Wh..what are you doing here? And how did you know when I was coming?"

"Rukia told me. Well, she told Renji who told me."

"Oh...ok." Just then Orihime heard someone clearing their throat behind her. She froze, realizing that Ulquiorra was right there.

"Ah, umm Kurosaki kun! This is Cifer San. Cifer san, Kurosaki kun. "

"Hi" was all Ichigo said, nodding at Ulquiorra and taking his appearance in. Then he put a protective arm around Orihime, "thanks for looking out for Inoue, Cifer San. She means a lot to u…me. She means a lot to me."

Ulquiorra's expression hardened and his eyes widened. Was that jealously? It may have been acute anger. Orihime couldn't tell as it was only for a brief moment before his face was blank again.

"No need to thank me. I am her superior for this project. It's a part of my job." He nodded at Ichigo, who smiled at this. Orihime felt a dull ache in her heart. Part of his job. Of course...

"Inoue San, I can figure out my living quarters for tonight. I will take my leave now. Goodbye." Ulquiorra turned around as Ichigo started lugging Orihime's bags. Orihime excused herself from Ichigo and went to Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra wait! Ano... I just..." Ulquiorra looked at Orihime questioningly. Why was he acting like this suddenly?! Wasn't it he who kept calling her a 'colleague' and any decent behaviour towards her a 'part of his job'?!

"If it's about what happened between us woman, then don't worry. I won't tell your boyfriend about our little fling. As you said before, it was casual anyways."

"Kurosaki kun is NOT.."

But before she could finish her sentence Ulquiorra had turned around and walked out of the airport, his heart clenching and shuddering as if it had just been broken into a million pieces.

* * *

><p>"Why did you come to pick me up, Kurosaki kun?"<p>

Ichigo and taken Orihime back to her place, and as she showered and freshened up, had cooked her some warm miso soup and rice. They were now sitting in her living room, Orihime having finished her meal.

"We can talk later Inoue. You must be tired. You should rest for a while."

"I am fine Kurosaki kun. Please answer me. I thought.."

"You thought what Inoue? That I would stop talking to you or not show my face after we had that conversation? I admit walking out on you and then not talking was not very nice on my part. But I was so stunned I didn't know what to think or say. And when I got back to my senses, I couldn't reach you at all. Your phone was switched off and your house was locked. Finally I learnt from Rukia that you had left for New York! I thought about coming there too, but I didn't want to intrude upon you. I made this mess, I wanted to wait till you were done to make it up to you."

Orihime's expression softened.

"It's ok Kurosaki kun. You don't have to apologize. What I said was out of line.." But Ichigo interrupted her, scooting in closer to her.

"You didn't intrude. You had a right to ask. And what I said was true. Well... Mostly. Going to study medicine in the U.S. is my dream Inoue but it is another year before I leave. Also you confronting me made me realize that I should man up instead of dicking around." Ichigo gave Orihime a meaningful look.

"I don't quite get you, Kurosaki kun." Where was he going with this?

"I thought about why it matters to me that you are seeing Byakuya."

Orihime felt her heart beat quicken at this.

"Ano.."

" Inoue I think I may be in love with you."

Orihime's heart stopped. She had imagined this scenario many times; one where Ichigo and her were together. However it was always her who confessed to Ichigo. Never had she dared imagine the reverse would happen. And now that it was happening, she felt utterly unprepared. Thankfully Ichigo continued, saving her from showing any sort of reaction.

"I don't know how long I have had these feelings. And I don't think I will give up my dream to study in the US. But I know that I don't want to wait around. I can't predict how the future will play out for us, but I suppose my dreams shouldn't come in the way of the rest of my life. I know that isn't much to offer compared to what Byakuya has to offer. However I have to at least try, even if you might reject me." Ichigo stopped to catch his breath and then breathed in deeply.

"So, if it's ok with you, Inoue Orihime; would you like to go out with me?"

If Orihime weren't so completely stunned out of her mind she would have laughed at Ichigo's expression then. He was holding in his breath, giving him the appearance of a puffer fish and looked absolutely adorable being all nervous. Orihime could feel her heart beating loudly. Yet her mind was in turmoil. She still remembered Ulquiorra's expression when they had parted. The slight glimpse of pain in his eyes was not lost on Orihime who was by now an expert at telling the emotions on his expressionless face. And what about Byakuya?

Ichigo was right. He was asking her to date him on the pretext that something might work out. However, he wanted her to give up on someone who was thinking of marrying her; and if Orihime was honest with herself, Byakuya was beyond an omiai candidate now. Maybe she didn't love him. But then, if she loved Ichigo, why was she not jumping at his offer? Why was she hesitating and thinking about Ulquiorra and Byakuya? Also hadn't Ulquiorra said that they were just a fling anyways?

She wanted to feel excited, and the numbness in her feet was probably excitement, but it was all too much too quick.

"Errr... Inoue... You are kinda killing me here you know."

"Ah! Sorry Kurosaki kun! It's just... I never expected... I... I am too shocked."

Ichigo's expression softened. Of course. Orihime had just come back from possibly a very busy trip. And here he was, her best friend, springing up his confession like that.

"It's ok Inoue. If you.."

"I need time Kurosaki kun. It's just, so many things have happened. In the past I wouldn't have hesitated a moment before saying yes. But I have been unable to tell my feelings apart these last few months. If possible.."

"Of course Inoue. You don't have to answer me now. But that doesn't mean I won't try to change your mind." He winked at her in that confident boyish way. Then he picked up her plates and took them in the kitchen.

Orihime sighed heavily. Things had just gotten even more complicated.


	11. The turns we take

**Authors Note: Dear readers. Yes I am back, I haven't forgotten this story, although it looks like I will be rushing to the finish line till vacations. One of the reasons why I dislike being a grad student. But I look forward to writing this story as I have some new ideas playing in my mind and I want to get this done before I start on those! Anyways, here is the next instalment of All Kinds Of Love. The song playing through my head while writing this: "Illuminated" by The Hurts. As always, please do drop me a line if you like what you read. Your reviews help me make this story better. **

**Disclaimer: TK wrote these characters. Otherwise Ulquiorra would be ALIVE! Btw, do check out his twitter. Man did Ulquiorra get tons of love on his birthday! TK even posted a status (in Japanese sigh) about it! :) **

**Chapter 11: The Turns we take**

"Byakuya looked at the calendar. According to Rukia, Orihime should be back by now. He decided he would send her a message tomorrow.

Orihime's sudden departure had surprised Byakuya. He even wondered if he had gotten ahead of himself and scared her with that kiss. But he welcomed the opportunity to sort through his feelings. For even though he wasn't always guarded, Kuchiki Byakuya did not like not being in control of himself.

The kiss had been a slip, but the aftermath had been even worse. Several nights after that, Byakuya had felt a deep desire to kiss Orihime again, and to even take things further. He had vivid images of him caressing her alabaster skin in the most intimate of manners, as she mewled his name again and again.

He had initially signed it off as his physical needs finally finding an outlet. It had been five years since Hisana had died. And even during their marriage she hadn't been around a whole lot. She would often travel to far off places that were without any internet or even phone connections. Such was her dedication to saving lives.

Initially it had been hard on him. After all Byakuya had always been very hot blooded. Yet so deep was his love for Hisana that he had adjusted. He had quelled his physical needs lest she be uncomfortable, and their reunions after her long missions were loving and sensuous, like Hisana. Several of Byakuya's friends had written them off initially, those closer saying that they were too different. While he was fiery and intense, she was calm and considerate.

Yet Byakuya also felt similar to Hisana in many fundamental ways. Both of them were independent and passionate about their professions. Both had a strong sense of responsibility and firm moral compass. In Hisana, Byakuya had a soul mate who understood him implicitly.

Things like passion could be found with many. His ex girlfriend Yoruichi Shihouin was an apt example. They had been extremely passionate, yet when it came down to it, they were completely different and always at loggerheads. Ultimately she had left Byakuya for another man. And he was thankful for that, as he would never have met Hisana if it were not for that betrayal.

Yet, years of partial and then forced celibacy might have taken its toll. Or so Byakuya thought, when one day, to his horror he had a wet dream about Orihime.

However he would be lying if he said he hadn't missed their weekly meetings the past few weeks. And he often found himself wondering what she was up to.

He was happy that she had been given the opportunity to travel; being a firm believer of the tenet that traveling is an essential part of gaining more life experiences. However he also felt more impatient not hearing from her. Why had they not texted each other before this? He decided he would have to amend that. Starting tomorrow when Orihime was well rested from her long flight.

Yes, he would text Orihime tomorrow. For Byakuya had never been the impatient one.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra looked at his phone. The woman hadn't called or texted. He felt his throat clench painfully again. It had been doing that the whole night. He briefly wondered what Orihime was doing and whether the orange haired man was with her.<p>

An image of them in bed, limbs entangled, flashed in Ulquiorra's head and he felt anger like one he had never known grip him. In that moment he felt that if he ever saw that man again, he might plunge his hand into the man's chest and pull out his heart so that the woman couldn't keep it.

Ulquiorra spent the rest of the night staring outside at the Tokyo night sky.

* * *

><p>Orihime had wanted to seek Rukia's counsel on her dilemma. But she did not even know where to start. Also, one of the parties involved happened to be Rukia's brother. And Orihime knew that no matter how unbiased Rukia tried to be, when it came to Byakuya she was a starry eyed child. According to Rukia, Byakuya could do no wrong.<p>

She dearly wished that she could speak with someone who wasn't connected with one of the three men. However all three of her female friends, Rukia, Tatsuki and even Nel were connected to the three objects of her turmoil in some way or another.

_Why are you so silly Orihime! Finally your wish of more than a decade is coming true. And here you are, confused and feeling conflicted. Why can't you just say yes?! Its not much, but Ichigo and I can always do long distance if he goes to the US. Heck I liked it there! I could even move with him! _

And so, when Rukia came, instead of telling her about Ichigo's offer, she told Rukia about the fun she had in New York and meeting Ulquiorra's friends. She found that she also left out that tiny detail about her and Ulquiorra's almost daily activities. It wasn't that Rukia would judge her. No, her friend was rarely judgemental. She simply didn't know what to call what had happened between her and Ulquiorra. Truth be told, she hadn't even considered the possibility of it ending when they had landed in Tokyo. Again she felt that uncomfortable sensation in her stomach.

She wished for once that her body would stop using sign languages and just speak to her already! _Who do you love Orihime? Who do you want to be with?_

"Hmmm, These Nel and Grimmjow sound like pretty cool people. You got pics?"Rukia excitedly.

Orihime laughed and showed her the picture they had taken on her last day in New York.

"Whoa! This Grimmjow dude sure is hot!"

"Haha they are models Rukia chan. I guess it's a part of the requirement?"

"Yeah. Is that batman? Damn even though he looks like a shorty in the front of those two, he looks like a model himself! What a hot group of people."

Rukia laughed, and then as if noticing something she stopped and grabbed the picture from Orihime, looking at it carefully. After a while she handed it back.

"Yeah batman is definitely hotter but Grimmjow is more my type." She winked at Orihime.

"Haha, given that Renji is your boyfriend, can't say I am really surprised Rukia chan."

"So... What else is up? I don't need donuts to look at pictures of hot men you know." Rukia said knowingly.

Uh oh. Orihime hadn't expected Ichigo' s proposal when she had asked Rukia to meet up. And even though Orihime usually told Rukia everything she hesitated in telling her about the proposal. Mostly because she knew what Rukia would say. 'Don't do it. It's much too little too late. You should move on.'

Rukia had told this to Orihime right from the beginning. She had never thought the two of them to be very compatible. In high school it had actually led to a bit of a feud (to the extent Orihime could have feuds) between them as Orihime had thought this as Rukia's way of getting rid of competition. Ichigo and Rukia had always got along like a house on fire and many of their high school friends had suspected that something might be going on between them. This coupled with Rukia telling her that Ichigo was not the type of person she should pine for for so long had made her both jealous and upset. She had avoided Rukia after that for almost a year.

They had made up eventually, with Rukia approaching her and clarifying that she did not like Ichigo that way, never had. In fact she had someone she liked back in Tokyo and they were sorta dating and writing to each other the whole time. That she had only said Orihime shouldn't pine because Ichigo wasn't in a place where he could look after anyone but himself.

But that was years ago. Maybe she had changed her mind? Orihime debated if it would be a good idea to try asking Rukia without giving out too much about Ichigo's confession. However Rukia chose that very moment to quiz her about him.

"So wanna tell me why Ichigo has turned stalker on you?"

"Ano...err.. We had a fight before I left."

Rukia' eyes widened. Orihime had fought with Ichigo?! That was almost unheard of. No that had literally never happened. No wonder her friend had been haggard and almost stalker-ish in trying to find Orihime.

"Hmmm I am shocked Hime. You never fight with him. Actually I have only ever seen you loose your patience with him when he is being especially dense and you are especially stressed. I was worried about his sudden interest. Also coincidentally he broke up with Senna around the same time. Not that that's a surprise but we all thought he might actually stick with her longer you know. She didn't seem his usual flaky type..."

"Ano... Is it bad if he shows interest in me Rukia chan?"

Rukia became guarded instantly. She had almost lost Orihime the last time she had stated her opinion about her crush.

"Well, I don't know if it's good or bad Orihime. And ultimately you are the best judge in what you want. But I stand by what I said all those years ago. Actually I think now I understand my intuition then better. Also I know you know, but as good a friend as Ichigo is to me, I wouldn't leave Renji even if that model Grimmjow walked in half naked. And no matter what, despite my friendship with Ichigo I am always on your side."

Orihime's eyes softened

"I know Rukia chan. But thanks for telling me anyways. And I am sorry I jumped to conclusions that time."

"No! That's not why I said this Orihime. I can see how it looks. You have liked Ichigo for so long that I want to believe in you guys and support your love. Also if he does show interest, I think ultimately you should do what you want to do. A life full of regrets about things you didn't do is much worse than a life full of regrets about things you did."

"Ruki.."

"Let me finish Hime. I said I understand my intuition then better now. And that's true. Ichigo is very protective of his loved ones and friends so it isn't easy to tell, however I have always felt that Ichigo is not in a place where he can look after anyone but himself."

"But I can look after myself Rukia chan!"

"I know Hime. But the question is whether Ichigo thinks the same or not."

* * *

><p>Ichigo had been serious when he said he was going to convince Orihime to give him a chance. Surprisingly, the wooing Ichigo was like normal Ichigo but a lot of him. Literally, he was everywhere. He was kind and considerate, checking on Orihime, offering help and either taking her out or making her dinner. While she appreciated the gesture; as she hadn't given him a reply, she always insisted that she pay her share. And he had grudgingly relented.<p>

It didn't help Orihime's cause much though, as it only reminded her of all the reasons she had fallen in love with Ichigo in the first place. His gentleness, his kindness, the way he looked after her, the warmth in his eyes. Orihime had always felt her heart lurch painfully in his company; but now he was keeping her company quite often and paying attention only to her. However, this did not surprise Orihime. For all his thick headedness and his below average ability to read the situation or emotions, Ichigo was extremely determined. And once he made up his mind, he would do everything in his power to get it.

Ichigo's attentions themselves would probably not have caused problems. However Orihime realised just how complicated her love life had suddenly become when the next day she got a text from Byakuya, asking to meet. Truth be told, she felt unsure. Not about meeting Byakuya, but about what she would tell him. Should she mention that her heart had already started betraying her mind when it came to Ichigo's proposal? That she would turn down the possibility of them moving towards marriage for a possible relationship that may or may not survive long distance with the man she had considered was the love of her life?

Did she still consider him the love of her life when her heart had now strayed towards not one but two men?!

And if Byakuya was hard, facing Ulquiorra was worse. It was at work the next day that Orihime realised that in her shocked state the previous day, she had never bothered to call back Ulquiorra. And Ulquiorra knew. She could tell the moment she met him, because why else would he call her Inoue San when it was just the two of them? Why would he act as nothing more than an indifferent superior, not even questioning her callous behaviour?

Orihime knew Ulquiorra was stoic. He had always been stoic and in control, even in some of the most embarrassing situations. What was she expecting? That he would cry? Get angry at her? Fight Ichigo over her?

That would be very un-Ulquiorra like. Ulquiorra didn't show weakness, or any emotions for that matter. He simply shut down. And Orihime was finding that if his snarkiness propelled her to anger and taking action, his shutting down had the exact opposite effect. It drove out every bit of energy out of her body, rendering her in a pseudo vegetative state.

After a week of this though she decided that she would confront Ulquiorra. She had to! She wouldn't be able to even think about Ichigo's proposal with the way things were between her and Ulquiorra. However as she stood facing his blank visage she was finding that this was easier said than done.

"Is there something of importance you would like to share Inoue San?" He said in that unaffected tone of his.

"Why are you being like this Ulquiorra?"

"I am sorry I don't quite understand."

"Don't test my patience! If this is about ichi..Kurosaki kun, then just say so!"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. So the woman and that delinquent were on first name basis now.

"There is nothing to say Inoue San. Your personal life is your business."

"Stop it! Yes what happens between Kurosaki kun and I is my business. But if that's the case why is it making you treat me this way?! What's with calling me Inoue San?! You speak as if those three weeks never happened between us!"

"I don't believe it is I that has forgotten.. Inoue San."

Orihime blanched at this statement. Ulquiorra was right. She was the one that had treated him callously. Seduced him, grown closer to him and then discarded him the moment she landed in Tokyo and saw Ichigo. Orihime felt her throat clench painfully, realising that if she did not get her bearings she might burst into tears from sheer guilt. Sure, Ulquiorra hadn't stopped her when she had called them a fling. He hadn't even brought up their relationship after that initial conversation. And sure, Orihime had been shocked out of her mind to even remember brushing her teeth before falling in a fitful sleep the night Ichigo confessed. However she had wronged Ulquiorra by not even calling and explaining herself and then waiting for a week to broach the topic.

"I am sorry Ulquiorra! I didn't call you that day. There was too much going on. Frankly my mind has been a mess. And most of it is because of you!" she ploughed on but stopped when she saw the expression on Ulquiorra's face.

For the first time she saw an angry look grace his features. It wasn't his usual annoyance. It was cold anger.

"I? I am the cause of your turmoil?! Let me see. I imagine this turmoil has something to do with this Kurosaki kun, who you claim isn't your boyfriend. My guess is that he wants to be now? For why else would he wait for your arrival looking like a lost puppy? And yet, I am the cause of this turmoil that made you forget basic decency?!"

Orihime shrank at these words. She had never seen Ulquiorra look so absolutely livid. For the first time she realised that those who thought Ulquiorra to be emotionless were dead wrong about him. Ulquiorra wasn't prone to showing or thinking about his feelings. However the raw intensity of his anger was proof enough that beneath that still surface ran a myriad of deep emotions. It had excited Orihime and made her feel alive in the last three weeks. Yet now, they were almost choking her, her throat now clenching painfully. However, Ulquiorra wasn't done yet.

"And what are you trying to do here, woman? Ask me permission to date that man? Don't joke with me. What I say or do does not matter. It has never mattered to you. And that's fine by me. You made it plenty clear what those three weeks were and I happen to agree. It was a fling. And by the looks of it, it's over. I don't have any hard feelings towards you if that's what's bothering you."

"Really? Because you look downright mad Ulquiorra." Orihime's eyes narrowed. Of course Ulquiorra knew. He was incredibly perceptive and even she hadn't missed the way Ichigo had acted around them upon her arrival in Tokyo.

Orihime didn't know why she had wanted to talk to Ulquiorra about the instance. Ulquiorra was not going to turn around, take her in his arms, kiss her deeply and promise eternal love. He wasn't going to stop her from dating Ichigo. Actually, she knew that Ulquiorra wasn't the type to do that no matter what. She hadn't come to seek permission. She had come because Ulquiorra deserved to know.

And now that she was standing in front of him she knew. Although she didn't know whether dating Ichigo was the right decision, she definitely knew that she would always regret refusing him. She knew now that with the albatross of her feelings around her neck, she simply would not be able to process anything else. For that was what she had wanted for as long as she knew.

" I didn't come here to seek permission or out of some sense of guilt Ulquiorra. Although what happens between Ichigo and I is very much our business, I needed to sort things out with you. I am sorry for going MIA like that. Last few weeks of my life have completely shaken everything I knew to be true about me and I haven't gotten around to figuring myself out. So I simply couldn't find the words to say to anyone. That is till I met you today."

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows. He hadn't been expecting the emotional woman to take such a passive stance and now he was curious. How had meeting him offered her insight into her own mind?

"You know Ulquiorra, I hate telling people what I feel and burdening them with my feelings and emotions. I have been like that for so long that I stopped burdening myself with my own feelings. Yet somehow around you, I feel like that long suppressed part of me comes out, and I speak my mind. For if you hadn't challenged me the way you did, I would have never known that I do care about urban planning. I have been looking into urban planning for marginalised groups like children and older people. It's not something corporates are interested in, as there is no profit to be earned. However the government here does have a division that works on it. I was planning to quit Aizen corp after this project if I got an in there."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened, as much from the sudden change in subject as from what he was hearing. Truth be told, it didn't surprise him. It made sense actually. Orihime wasn't suited for the money minded cutthroat corporate environment. But she was obviously suited for urban planning. He wondered when in those long days and nights in New York had Orihime found the time to figure out the purpose of her life and find conviction in her choice of profession.

"I wanted to tell you, after we settled down in our routine in Tokyo.." her voice quivered. "But as luck would have it, before I could fully figure out one aspect of my life, another aspect was thrown into chaos."

"By another aspect you mean…"

"I have loved Ichigo since I was 12 years old." Orihime continued. Ulquiorra felt his heart sink.

" And the day he picked me up, he asked me to go out with him. Frankly, I was shocked. I had imagined this moment my whole life and yet my reaction wasn't what I thought it would be."

Ulquiorra looked like he wanted to speak but Orihime continued, afraid that he might dismiss her. Somehow the idea that Ulquiorra might not care made her heart heavy.

"Let me finish Ulquiorra. I thought about this a lot. And I have decided to take him up on his offer. I don't know if this is the right choice. But Ichigo is all I know of love. And if I don't give that a chance, I don't know how else I am to move forward."

Ulquiorra wanted to scream. He wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to jump down a dark abyss and never return. Rejection should not have been hard for Ulquiorra. He had always waited while he was passed over for more pleasant and younger children, till the orphanage gave up on the idea that he would ever have a family. However with the woman he hadn't even tried. They were a fling. And yet his head was pounding while a strange lightness took over his being.

"I have never considered you a fling Ulquiorra. But I suppose you are right. Our physical relationship was a fling. And its time to end it. I wanted to stay friends, but I have treated you way too unfairly to ask that. And for that, and that itself, I am truly sorry." With that Orihime turned to leave.

"Woman…" Orihime froze, not daring to look at Ulquiorra. His voice was dense and flat, and yet this could only mean that it was containing the endless abyss of his emotions underneath it.

"Yes?"

Ulquiorra didn't speak for a while. Orihime couldn't see or hear it but she could sense that he was thinking and processing a million things. After a while she wondered if he had fainted or dropped dead and considered facing him..

"I understand." He said in a tone she had never heard before. To someone who didn't know Ulquiorra, it would seem unaffected and light. It was barely a whisper. But to Orihime he might as well have dictated a complex cryptograph; one that you know is laced with meaning but feel you could never decode.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra."

As a lone tear slid down Orihime's eyes as she walked out of Ulquiorra's office, leaving the absolutely stunned man alone. The last thought on Ulquiorra's mind was how all the warmth left the room as Orihime disappeared from his sight; as if the sun had set to lead to a cold dark night.

* * *

><p>Orihime didn't know what the right move was. But she knew that if she let Ichigo go the one time he wanted to be with her, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Yet, walking out of Ulquiorra's office, she felt her feet turn to lead with each step. If she was walking in the right direction, why were her heart so torn and her step so unsure? She had told herself that loosing Ulquiorra was a consequence that could not be avoided. But the dull ache in her heart told her that maybe it affected her more than she had initially thought. Orihime firmed her resolve. Things were far from over. She still had to set things straight with Byakuya.<p>

She didn't know when and how she had decided to take Ichigo up on his offer. She had seen movies where after a tumultuous tryst with many men the heroine would end up with the love of her life.

He would come, much like Ichigo had, and profess that he had never seen what was in front of his eyes and that he loved her. And she would jump into his arms, all her worries, all the trysts, everything in the past forgotten.

Orihime now knew that this only happened in movies. When Ichigo came, she didn't forget Ulquiorra and Byakuya and jump into his arms without a care. Conversely, her mind had been clouded with emotions she didn't understand, fears she didn't know existed within her, and a bitterness she did not think she was capable of. But life wasn't lead with confusion and bitterness.

So here she was, waiting for Byakuya, feeling jittery about rejecting his marriage proposal to give the man who had not noticed her for a decade, a chance.

"Its been a while, Orihime."

Instantly Orihime's heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't seen Byakuya since the kiss. Yet there he was, his usual self assured self, looking as noble as one could. Briefly it crossed her mind that he had used her first name. Yet it wasn't crossing the line or being too familiar. Just like everything Byakuya did, it was thoughtful and confident. She was beginning to understand why it had seemed almost lucrative to sign up for a loveless marriage with this man. He was like a rock, rarely shaken by anything.

"B.b..Byakuya san? Thank you for meeting me.."

"It's my pleasure Orihime. I have wanted to speak with you for a while too."

"Yes! I am sorry for being so.. " _So what Orihime? So, unresponsive? So MIA?_ Now that she thought about it, Byakuya had been quite consistent in messaging her, yet he had given her space when she wanted. Initially she had chalked it up to him not caring. Yet the man had agreed to meet her the moment she had sent her reply to his message. He had even messaged the day after she had arrived. If he wasn't simply disinterested in Orihime, then he had to be the most patient man she knew.

"Its all right Orihime. I understand you were busy with work."

Now Orihime felt her face heat up. Yes she had been busy, but not just with work. Another image of Ulquiorra flashed in her mind and Orihime sighed.

"I wanted to speak with you, Byakuya san." She said finally. She hadn't been able to express her feelings to Ulquiorra properly, but she at least knew what she would tell Byakuya. _But exactly how do I say, Sorry Byakuya, the guy I have always loved, asked me out. And even though there is no guarantee we might make it, I would regret not taking up something I have desired for most of my life now. So I would like to politely refuse your offer of a loveless marriage, despite the fact that the memory of my first kiss with you still sends shivers down my spine._

Orihime decided the truth didn't sound all that bad after all. And Byakuya deserved the truth for being patient and nothing but generous with her.

She pointed towards the café she had chosen for them to meet. It was usually not very noisy and offered enough privacy to talk. Byakuya nodded, curious as to what Orihime wanted to talk about and made a move towards the café when his eyes landed on someone. The person had noticed him too.

"Kuchiki senpai?"

"Ulquiorra?"

Orihime's eyes widened in shock. Walking towards them, giving Byakuya one of his rare smiles, was Ulquiorra Cifer. To her surprise, Byakuya was smiling back.

"Its been a while."


	12. The Dilemma

**AN: Hi guys! Yes, I am back. As expected things have been crazy and I was so busy I didn't have time to edit this chapter even though it has been written out for a while! But its here and its my holiday gift to you guys! I am travelling soon so there won't be any updates till Januray 2015. But thank you so much for sticking with this story and your reviews. During this busy time, with so many things happening, I cannot emphasise enough how much your reviews helped me. There were several days when I simply did not have the motivation to write/edit this on top of everything else I had. Yet I would see a notification and read a review and it would make me excited about continuing this story again! So Thank You! **

**This chapter moves things forward and has some IchiHime but is mainly focussed on Byakuya and his perspective. I hope you enjoy and please, R&R! **

**Disclaimer: Tite Kubo wrote Bleach. I only think up scenarios where these characters can romance each other! :)**

**Chapter 12: The Dilemma**

"It's been a while Ulquiorra. What are you doing back in Japan?"

Orihime stared at Byakuya. He had always given the impression of being quite stuffy when talking to people he didn't know. However right now he had an easy half smile and unguarded expression on his face. He didn't just know Ulquiorra... From what Orihime knew about Byakuya, she was sure that he liked Ulquiorra. She tried valiantly to hide her face somewhere so Ulquiorra wouldn't notice her.

"I am here on a project Kuchiki senpai".

Senpai! Of course! Why hadn't she thought about it before? Ulquiorra and Byakuya had both gone to Keio. However Byakuya was almost 10 years older than Orihime and Ulquiorra... Now that she thought about it, she didn't know exactly how old Ulquiorra was. He had been on fast track meaning he might have gone to college earlier than regular kids. However she was sure he wasn't old enough to have been at Keio at the same time as Byakuya..

" Ah I see." Realizing that Orihime was next to him, Byakuya turned to her.

"Orihime, this is my kouhai from Keio, Ulquiorra Cifer."

Then as if reading the question in her eyes Byakuya elaborated, "Although we didn't overlap at Keio, we were connected through the alumni mentorship programme, but then lost touch."

"Oh.. You are dating him too woman?! I have to say that's an improvement over that ape." Ulquiorra, who hadn't noticed Orihime till Byakuya had pointed her out, spoke more to himself than anyone else.

"I see you both know each other." Orihime cringed. Of course Byakuya had noticed. He was about as perceptive as Ulquiorra. Orihime wondered if she was just surprised because she was used to being around dense idiots like Ichigo and Renji.

"We work together." Ulquiorra said easily, saving Orihime from blurting out something inappropriate, as she usually did in such situations.

"Aaaah, ano... Yea! We..err.. I mean, Ulquiorra and..NO.. Cifer san and I work together! He is the man who was working me really hard!"

Had she just said Ulquiorra was "working" her?! She might as well have said they were doing each other! Her eyes widened as Ulquiorra sweat dropped.

Why did the woman think she could handle herself in these situations?!

"Working you..."

"I am her boss on a project. Inoue san had to work quite a lot for it, unfortunately." Ulquiorra said smoothly, giving Orihime a meaningful look. But Orihime was already quite flustered with her last slip of tongue.

She could feel Ulquiorra's eyes on her but chose to ignore it, completely flustered and blushing prettily.

"Well, that's good if you know each other. Why don't you join us Ulquiorra?" Byakuya said evenly, apparently not having noticed Orihime's distress.

This shocked both Orihime and Ulquiorra. Orihime reasoned that of course Byakuya would want Ulquiorra to join as they hadn't seen each other in a while and it was only polite. Ulquiorra however looked slightly suspicious, but relented anyways.

"So for how long will you be in Tokyo?" Byakuya asked once they had all settled in the café.

"A few weeks at the least. We don't know the project timeline yet. But... I might stay longer." Ulquiorra looked at Orihime's surprised face as he finished. She didn't know he was planning to stay longer. Why did this make her heart lurch in a strange way?

"That's good. You should come by our house sometime."

Now Orihime was flabbergasted. In the many years that she had known Rukia, she had only been to her house once; that was till Rukia moved out to be with Renji. Apparently Byakuya was not much for company and even Renji would sometimes feel uncomfortable encroaching upon his territory and finally Rukia had moved out so they could be with each other whenever they wanted. To invite Ulquiorra to his house indicated a deeper bond than one shared between a senpai and kouhai.

"I would love to. Are you still in Azabu-Jūban?"

"Yes."

Orihime wondered why it had gone silent suddenly only to realize that Byakuya and Ulquiorra were mulling over the menu, completely comfortable with the silence. As the evening progressed she discovered that this was actually a norm between the two men. As they both only spoke when required and didn't care about useless formalities, once the men had questioned each other on their lives and brought themselves up to date, they only spoke when one had a question for another.

Not used to long silences, Orihime had felt compelled to jump in a few times, trying to find topics to chat up with Byakuya and Ulquiorra. This had somehow lead her to start bickering with Ulquiorra about whether Tokyo was better than New York (Byakuya remained neutral and added that he liked Prague best) after which they had somehow managed to jump to the topic of Kurosaki Ichigo being a dense ape (Byakuya had vehemently agreed on this one and Orihime had to finally give up in the face of two extremely overbearing and eloquent men who had started to painstakingly explain to her how Ichigo's habits matched that of a Neanderthal (this was mostly Byakuya).

Finally when they said their goodbyes and Orihime got back home to a gift and a message from Ichigo.

_"Inoue, this may be very forward of me, and please know that I am willing to wait for you as long as it takes. But I wanted to take you out, on a date. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 7 pm. If that's OK, please text YES. If you do not want to come, just text NO. (I hope you don't though.. Please don't say no XoX) Love, Ichigo." _

Orihime smiled as she texted a 'yes' without even thinking about it. As she drifted into a quiet slumber that night, she realized that in the shock of meeting Ulquiorra, she had never had the chance to reject Byakuya.

* * *

><p>Orihime checked herself in the mirror for the hundredth time. She could feel a sense of anxiety clawing at her. It was happening. Her childhood dream, the one thing she had constantly envisioned since the age of 12, was finally going to happen. And she was wracked with anxiety.<p>

How would her and ichigo's date be? Would they have enough to talk about? Where would he take her? What if he changed his mind after seeing her in this state? What if they kissed at the end of the night?

_Hush, Orihime! It's going to be fine! Stop acting like a kid. You are a grown woman! _She reprimanded herself.

Yet this was different. This was Ichigo, the man she had loved for so long that he had become the very definition of love for Orihime. Of course she was nervous. She was practically shivering with anxiety and excitement. Yet a part of her also felt turmoil. Turmoil at the fact that she was choosing to not react to what she felt about callings things off with Ulquiorra, or likely rejecting Byakuya's proposal.

Why was it that Ichigo always sent all thoughts flying from her mind, including any sense of self preservation? Truthfully, Orihime didn't know. She had never been vey close to Ichigo, and even when they had interacted one on one he wasn't as focussed on her as he was now. There had been an implicit understanding between them, which made them respect each others boundaries.

However those boundaries had been broken by Ichigo. Slowly, but surely. So that at once Orihime felt excited and at a loss. What was she supposed to do? How should she react? She had always told herself that Ichigo WAS love. She knew what to do when aspiring for love and chasing it for the ideal that it was.

How was she supposed to act now that her chase had ended?

The doorbell interrupted Orihime's thoughts and she realized that she was already late.

"Coming!" She ran to the door, opening it to see Ichigo dressed in a casual blazer with fitted pants and dress shoes. He looked like a prince. Orihime instantly turned red but noticed that Ichigo too looked extremely nervous.

"Err, Inoue... Umm, I got some wine! And I made us reservations at the Italian place you and Rukia go to a lot. You like Italian right?!"

Orihime eased up a little. Here she was musing only about her feelings, not realizing that it must have been equally awkward for Ichigo too. Just like Ichigo had always been an ideal in Orihime's mind, Orihime too had been just a friend for him. They were both new to this and they would both figure it out.

"It's ok Kurosaki kun! I love Italian food!"

"It's Ichigo, Inoue."

"Well then it's Orihime for you... Ii..errr.. Ichi.. Ichigo!"

Ichigo smiled at Orihime's nervousness. She really was very cute. How had he missed this when it was right in front of him?

"Ok we should leave then.. Orihime."

Orihime's heart thudded a million times per second as she followed Ichigo out into his car. It was strange really. They had been friends for so long. Yet just the act of him uttering her name was enough to send shivers along her spine.

"Oh! Btw Renji was bothering me to hang out for drinks. I think Rukia will message you soon. I told them since I'll be out anyways I'll pick you up."

Orihime froze. Did that mean they were not telling friends? She was ok with that. No she actually preferred that. She was worried about what Rukia or Ishida might think of them dating, when she had been seeing Byakuya not too long ago. Also Rukia's words were still rankling in Orihime's head. And with an already paper thin conviction, she didn't want to see Rukia disapprove of them on the off chance that she might.

"But we are dressed like this Kurosaki kun.."

"It's Ichigo. And I think it should be all right Orihime. We are going to a club after anyways."

"Unn.. Ok."

Ichigo looked at the radiant woman in front of him, wondering again for the millionth time why he had held himself back from her. Now that they had sorted the initial awkwardness of going out on a date and deciding not to tell their friends, they had settled into a fun and easy banter.

Ichigo was genuinely surprised at how attentive Orihime was towards him. They had skirted away from the topic of her prior feelings for him, just chatting about work and older memories, their common friends, Tatsuki's temper. Ichigo noticed that Orihime stayed away from discussing her recent trip New York, which he found odd. But that aside despite the earlier nervousness he had felt, he found himself easing into the conversations with her.

Every once in a while, his eyes would travel down the nape of her neck or her lower lip, making him wonder why he had suddenly become so aware of his friend.

"So when do you plan to go to the U.S.. Ichigo?"

"Ummmhmmm.. The application deadlines are in 2 months but if all goes well, in the next 11 months."

Orihime seemed to consider this for a while.

"Where would you go?"

"Ah I can't say Orihime. Usually residencies are very competitive. I would go there in a few months for interviews and probably see how it works from there. Also if I don't get in this time, I contacted a few doctors to do medical research with, in which case I'll leave for the US in as soon as 6 months."

"Oh..."

Ichigo cursed himself inwardly. He wished Orihime hadn't broached such a heavy topic so soon.

"Well then, we have at least 6 months! So I should cherish every day with you." Orihime smiled sweetly. Instantly Ichigo felt his chest tighten.

It was one thing, thinking that things would be fine even if there was a small chance that they might become long distance or not last till he left; it was entirely another to actually see Orihime face to face and entertain the possibility that she might not be in his life in 6 months. Ichigo instantly felt his throat clench.

"Ahhh, ss..sorry Kurosaki kun! I sound like some crazy stalker... I didn't realize..."

"Don't be sorry for anything except calling me Kurosaki kun, Orihime. You are right. There is a good chance that I won't get into the programs of my choice and have to go to the US much earlier. We need to make the best of this time we have!"

Seeing Orihime ease up at this Ichigo smiled and they chatted away to their hearts content.

* * *

><p>Byakuya looked outside into his garden. Typically Tokyo was so dense that it was impossible to find a corner that was quiet and peaceful. But the Kuchiki manor was in a posh neighbourhood that was relatively quiet. When Byakuya had lived here with Hisana, they had demolished a larger part of the manor to resemble a tiered garden, leaving only essential rooms in the manor. And although they had decorated the rooms modestly and tastefully, the gardens were truly a sight to behold. Lined on lower tiers with different trees including an area just for sakura, the gardens rose to give way to flower beds. Hisana had insisted on a vegetable garden and Byakuya had told the gardener to intersperse the tiers with various fruit trees so that whenever they wished, they could reach out and grab a fruit.<p>

Due to Hisana's love for flowers, the flower beds were both elaborate and diverse, enclosed in a glass greenhouse.

Byakuya had always found it a pity that Hisana had never been able to enjoy this garden for a very long time. Due to her passion for saving lives, she would choose to go on long assignments in developing countries, sometimes only returning once in six months. Connectivity in these places was minimal and there were times when they had resorted to sending each other snail mail. It was good that Byakuya had never been one for touchy feely romances.

Or so he had told himself in those five beautiful yet painful years with Hisana. They had lived a sort of fairy tale romance, falling in love in a strange place, eloping against his family's wishes and then traveling to different parts of the world, meeting each other in some other strange place in the middle. While this made for one big adventure, a part of Byakuya longed for stability and for a Hisana that he could wake up with and have breakfast with at home instead of one he met to bungee jump with in South Africa or mountain climb with in the Alps.

Yet Byakuya would never let his base needs hinder the dreams of a woman as selfless and committed to saving other people as Hisana. He had been convinced that despite those phases of abject loneliness and longing that had gripped him often, what he had with Hisana was worth it. For it was better to have a life partner that you loved, no matter how meagre your moments together; than to spend a lifetime caught with someone, repeating the daily motions of stable married life.

Yet that love had been stripped away from him before he had even begun to devour it. On one of her trips to Africa as a doctor in charge of overseeing a rescue operation following an epidemic, Hisana had left just when they had been discussing having children. Byakuya had been patient. Hisana had wanted kids, and kids would bring that sense of grounding he had been craving, for both him and her.

But she never returned. She had insisted on traveling to treat patients on outskirts of the affected village, against the better judgement of her peers; contracted the virus and succumbed to it. One day he had received her e-mail discussing her plans to return and them having kids and less than a week later MSF had informed him that Hisana had left him forever.

As if magically, all those cravings for stability and normalcy left Byakuya as though they never existed in the first place. He had thrown away the idea of a comfortable and happy life with a loving wife, immersed himself in his work and eventually submitted himself to the idea of playing the dutiful first son of a noble family and creating heirs with a nameless faceless woman of his family's choice.

That was, before he had met Orihime Inoue. Somehow Orihime had ignited those desires he had never allowed himself with Hisana. Orihime was nothing like Hisana, and the feelings she brought out in him were nothing like the ones Hisana had brought out.

Yet, could one really compare love for two different people? What he shared with Hisana was sacred and unconnected with what he felt towards Orihime. Byakuya had closed the door to his base needs. Needs of having a routine with a life partner, sharing the same space, enjoying simple things like the flowers blooming in his garden and cooking a meal together and making love knowing that this wasn't a treat granted once in a few months but that this person would be there every night, sharing the same bed. The physical intimacy that went beyond sexual inter course, yet was somehow even more intimate. He had craved these things as much as he had craved meeting someone who both calmed and challenged him before he had met Hisana.

Yet it was Orihime who had brought out those needs again, making him realize that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to move on, to find happiness, not in the shape of another Hisana but in the form of a completely different person. That it wouldn't be so bad to hold that air headed, emotional and uncertain of herself auburn haired girl, to spoon her at night, to touch and devour her alabaster skin with leisure and not the urgency that only comes with being with someone as driven and lost as you are.

Byakuya looked at the moonlight filtering gently through the leaves and washing the ground at the base of his garden, mulling over the events of the previous night.

He remembered feeling very happy to see Orihime after a long time. Then he felt happier bumping into his long-time mentee, Ulquiorra. Yet as the night progressed, a nameless dread had crawled up his throat making him feel strangely calm yet panicky. He had seen how Orihime looked at Ulquiorra. And he would never have missed how Ulquiorra looked at Orihime.

Byakuya had met Ulquiorra through the Keio alumni mentor programme. He had been sceptical but hisana had insisted that he give back to the community. Instantly upon meeting him, Byakuya had liked Ulquiorra, seeing him more as a kindred spirit. He had enjoyed the fact that he did not need to maintain a steady stream of babble for Ulquiorra, and he appreciated that Ulquiorra only spoke when necessary and spoke sensibly. Over the years they had kept in touch on and off, and Byakuya had even helped Ulquiorra with his connections in Aizen Corp.

Although not close according to the normal social norms, Byakuya and Ulquiorra could read each other quite well. This was why they had been one of the few mentor mentees in the alumni programmed who had still kept in touch.

And it was why he knew that Ulquiorra was madly in love with Orihime, but completely unaware of it (and knowing him, most likely actively denying it).

Byakuya felt his heart clench. Not since he had met Hisana had he desired a woman as much as he desired Orihime Inoue. Yet, if his instincts about Ulquiorra and Renji's babble about how her childhood crush had been stalking her were right; he was now faced with two very intimidating opponents vying for her affections.

Byakuya sighed. He didn't like Ichigo but Ulquiorra was another story altogether. It seemed like letting things go with the flow would soon not be enough.

Byakuya sighed again. He really did not like dilemmas.


End file.
